Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 23/strong>
ABC7 News: With the crackdown on immigration spreading across the country under the Trump administration, Eyewitness News looks into immigrant rights, and what non-citizens need to know.
Enrique is one of thousands of immigrants in the Tri-State living in fear – fear of being separated from his teenage son Antonio.
“I feel sad because all my life I lived with my dad, with my family,” Enrique said.
Enrique told Eyewitness News that he will be separated from his son.
“I feel embarrassed because when I came to this country, I did it because I know my country doesn’t have the possibilities for my son,” he said.
Veronica Cardenas represents the family.
“I think it’s unfortunately going to happen any day,” Cardenas said. “I don’t think that they’re going to stand by what a previous administration has said.”
Before working in private practice, Cardenas worked as an ICE prosecutor for the last three presidents.
“I feel like the immigration world has been turned upside down,” she said.
The Trump administration said they want to arrest more than 1,800 undocumented immigrants every day.
“Immigration is focused on the numbers, and anytime they focus on the numbers, you lose due process rights,” Cardenas said.
She says it’s not just non-citizens and criminals who are getting picked up.
“Non-citizens are probably the easiest targets but where does it end? Where does it stop? And what is his end game here?” Cardenas said.
That’s why she’s educating people about their rights.
“They know non-citizens right now are equipped with what their rights are. they know that they don’ have to speak to immigration, but they’re doing it by force and they’re doing it by tactics like screaming at people,” Cardenas said.
She says that if non-citizens are walking out on the street and someone asks them their name, or where they are from, they shouldn’t answer those questions unless they are actually under arrest, and even then, they shouldn’t answer questions.
“I think everyone deserves a fair day in court where the laws are not skewed against a person,” she said.
