Advocates urge immigrants in Austin to plan – but not panic – over new Trump orders

Advocates say President Donald Trump’s immediate actions on immigration have created a climate of fear among immigrant communities in Austin.

On his first day in office, Trump signed more than 200 executive orders, many related to immigration, and issued a policy allowing authorities to enter churches and schools to detain undocumented people.

Danny Moreno and his colleagues at Workers Defense have started “know your rights” trainings to educate immigrants and mixed-status families on what to do if they’re approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Moreno said it’s important to emphasize that undocumented residents have the same rights as any Austinite. If ICE comes knocking, you don’t have to answer the door, you don’t have to answer questions and you shouldn’t sign anything. Most importantly, he said, everyone has a right to an attorney, regardless of immigration status.

Austin police don’t have to participate in immigration raids. Neither do Travis County deputies. While Texas passed a law that would allow local police to enforce the state’s immigration laws, it’s being challenged in court. (It’s worth noting, the case is before the U.S. 5th Circuit of Appeals, one of the most conservative courts in the nation.)

Still, Austin City Council Member Chito Vela said, law enforcement officers in Austin won’t be legally required to enforce any federal immigration order from the Trump administration.

“The federal government cannot seize control of our police and city staff and require them to then act as deportation agents,” he said. “That’s a relatively well established constitutional principle, so we’re protected from them kind of forcing our hand.”

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the department “does not, and has not in the past, had a role in enforcing federal civil immigration laws.”

“We are focused on our mission of keeping Austinites safe and investigating criminal activity that secures justice for those who are victims of crime,” she said in a statement.

Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said “nothing has changed” at her department.

“We want victims to run to our agency in a crisis, not run away,” she said. “As always, we will follow and enforce the laws of the state of Texas.”

That aside, Moreno said he’s worried about mis- and disinformation. In the past, he’s seen social media posts about ICE raids that weren’t actually ICE raids. Someone saw something and said something – and that unintentionally contributed to the confusion.

“There might be some well-intended people in the community that accidentally share it without verifying,” he said.

Uncertainty and fear

While Vela said he doesn’t expect immigration enforcement raids in Austin immediately, the possibility is still there – and his constituents are worried.

“My No. 1 concern is for the children who are left behind as part of any deportation rates. A lot of those kids are U.S. citizens, probably the vast majority of them are U.S. citizens, and if mom or dad is deported, then who’s gonna take care of them? What’s gonna happen to them?” he said. “Their well-being is gonna suffer a lot.”

Anne Chandler, an attorney with the Texas Immigration Law Council, said she understands families are confused and scared, but urges them not to panic.

“It does not mean that we should not send our children to school. It does not mean that tomorrow we are going to see ICE officers in our schools making arrests,” she said. “It does not mean any of that.”

The Austin Independent School District said last week that it’s monitoring the administration’s policies.

In a statement, Superintendent Matias Segura said he understands the “emotional toll” that potential deportations could carry for undocumented- and mixed-status families.

“For many in our community, these are not just policy discussions, but deeply personal issues that can create uncertainty and fear,” he said.

The district’s guidelines state that AISD does not collect immigration documentation, that the “immigration status of our students or families does not change our obligation to educate.”

Democratic state lawmakers also called on the Texas Education Agency to provide more concrete protocols for schools across the state.

In a letter Thursday, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus called on the TEA to provide guidance on “how local school districts and school personnel should respond to and prepare themselves for federal immigration enforcement actions in Texas schools.”

‘History is instructive’

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a former Austin City Council member, said the city will likely see ICE raids on workplaces. Austin and other left-leaning cities were targets of raids in Trump’s first term.

“That history is instructive,” he said.

He noted these raids often led to deportations of undocumented people without criminal records.

“Every single law enforcement officer – county, local, state, federal – that I’ve talked to, they don’t want to be going after people that pose no threat to anyone,” he said.

In light of that, Moreno has advised families to have a plan – just in case. He acknowledges that these are “traumatic” for kids, but they’re necessary.

“That’s the reality of what’s gonna happen, you know?” he said. “We have those conversations with them about family preparedness plans … just prepping them with their documentations in the worst-case scenario. … Unfortunately, they have to have those those tough conversations.”

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