CHAMBLEE - Social workers and activists are urging undocumented immigrants to put together emergency kits similar to the kind emergency officials encourage people to keep in case of fire or natural disaster.
The kits include passports for U.S.-born children, contact info for an attorney, information on their legal rights and other material that can keep families together or help relatives retrieve a last paycheck.
Susy Martorell, a social worker and president of the board of the Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia, says the group's members are constantly preoccupied with their legal status. That prompted her to depart from the group's main focus on health issues once or twice a year to bring in an immigration lawyer.
At a meeting last month, attorney Luis Alemany urged families to prepare for the detention of one or both parents by securing passports and having a well thought-out plan for who will care for the children and how the family will be reunited if the parents are deported.
While having all the proper documents in order, knowing their rights and drawing up careful plans won't prevent a deportation order if a person is here illegally, it can provide some peace of mind by ensuring that families know what to do.
Thursday
October 10th, 2024
6:28PM
