The Immigrants’ Assistance Center, a non-profit organization serving over 12,000 clients a year, has seen a 60% increase in the number of clients since President Trump was elected.
Helena DaSilva-Hughes, the executive director of the center, says she’s been anticipating the recent announcement from President Trump for months. And it’s why she’s advised her clients to limit their driving, memorize the phone number of a loved one with citizenship, and learn about their rights as undocumented immigrants.
“I’ve been spending so much of my time really doing these emergency family preparedness to help families to get legal protection in case they’re apprehended,” DaSilva-Hughes says. “It’s a critical process and with President Trump’s announcement we expect the demand to skyrocket.”
The last major raid in New Bedford was under the Bush administration. Immigration officials raided a textile plant arresting over 350 people they claimed were undocumented. About 40% of them were eventually deported.
