6 Feb 27th-March 5th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | On the Front Lines How Arizona immigration attorneys fight Trump’s crackdown. BY CELINA JIMÉNEZ F amilies unwilling to leave their homes to buy groceries. Parents unenrolling their kids from school. Children afraid of being separated from their parents. Arizona’s rightward turn on immigration — as a result of Donald Trump’s mass depor- tation goals and the passage of Proposition 314 in November — is already having an enormous impact on undocumented and mixed-status families. Amid the ever- present threat of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, Arizona’s immigrant communities are trying to manage their anxiety and survive. It’s a scary time, but helping them is a determined community of legal profes- sionals. They are immigration lawyers and paralegals and community organizers, many of them veterans of the battles against former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Arizona’s infamous “show me your papers” law, Senate Bill 1070. This moment is bigger. The opponent, the federal government, is stronger. And Arizona’s immigrant rights community is hoping to hold the line. “During 1070, there was hope that federal courts would step in and help because it was just a local fight,” said Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado, the founder and prin- cipal attorney of Ybarra Maldonado Law Group. “Now, we have the opposite. That Arpaio rhetoric is in the White House. They’re finishing what he started.” As a result, legal professionals say their work now feels exceptionally heavy and exhausting. The number of calls they receive can be overwhelming, and the onslaught of executive orders from the Trump administration offers no pauses to catch one’s breath. Francisco X. Aguirre, a paralegal and owner of Beyond Attorneys, often finds himself working from 2 in the morning until 6 in the evening to handle his caseloads, which have been steadily increasing since Trump was reelected in November. Families’ futures are at stake, and advo- cates like Aguirre and others work hard to ensure no detail is left unexamined. Much of it is preparing for the worst — sorting out guardianship for children and planning for a feared arrest and deportation. “Make a list of names, bank accounts, emergency contacts and your kids’ schools, and leave it with a Immigration attorneys like Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado are dealing with a crush of phone calls in the wake of Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. (Courtesy of Ybarra Maldonado Law Group) documented person you trust,” Aguirre said. “No one is conveying that with enough urgency, and that’s frightening.” Some of their work is geared toward making sure the worst doesn’t happen. Though Trump has stated he wants to deport all of the roughly 11 million undocu- mented immigrants in the country, many might qualify for protections that would allow them to remain in the U.S. “Sometimes we catch something they didn’t even know they were eligible for, like a U Visa for victims of crime, deferred action for labor abuse, or protections for those who have been here for decades and have chil- dren or spouses born in the U.S.,” Maldonado said. “There are a lot of cases that have looked really bad at the beginning, but ultimately resulted in victory.” The cost of seeking legal representation remains a major barrier for undocumented immigrants, as is the time it takes for cases to move through the legal system. Many fami- lies are left with few options. Maldonado offers free legal advice via social media when possible. Local grassroots organizations like Aliento AZ try to pick up the slack, sharing protective resources while caring for the day-to-day needs of undocumented people. José Patiño, Aliento’s vice president of education and external affairs, is working with ACLU Arizona to secure more pro bono legal representation for undocumented families. Legal support is just one piece of the puzzle. “We partner with schools to provide training and mental health workshops for students, teachers, and parents,” Patiño said. “But the fear is there. One principal told me that kids are already starting to unenroll. It’s heartbreaking. We want to help these kids still live their lives as best as they can.” Not just a job It’s grinding work, all the more stressful because it never really stops. While people in other professions may be able to knock off work to hit up happy hour, those helping the undocumented are members of the same community. For them, the work is personal. The legal help shows up in black and white. It’s there in the court petitions attor- neys file and in the “Know Your Rights” material they distribute. But the >> p 8 | NEWS |
