Latest news with #COPAL
CBS News
06-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota group dedicates itself to helping undocumented immigrants during time of uncertainty
In his address Tuesday night, President Trump spoke about the mass deportations of undocumented workers. The arrests and the raids are happening in every state, including Minnesota, where an estimated 100,000 undocumented people are living. "Growing up undocumented myself, I know that there is a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety that comes with everything that we are seeing in the news," Carolina Ortiz said. Ortiz is the associate Executive Director of Comunidades Organizando Poder Y la Accion Latina (COPAL). "I grew up undocumented and then received DACA. Now I have been able to have my green card, so it's been a process with me," she said. When asked if she's confident about her ability to keep her green card given the current political climate, Ortiz said she isn't sure. "With everything we're seeing right now, I don't know, and it's terrifying," Ortiz said. COPAL is one of hundreds of groups across the U.S. forming a modern-day underground railroad network of support. It has delivered more than 20,000 cards reminding undocumented immigrants that, under the U.S. Constitution, they have rights. "You have the right not to open the door, you have the right to remain silent, you have the right to ask for legal help, you have right to not sign any documents," Ortiz said. Another big concern, according to COPAL, is that immigrants who are undocumented and are here on temporary visas are scared to do what they can do legally, like pay taxes. "The IRS implemented a system in '96 to allow people without documents to pay their taxes. It's called an ITIN number, and that number is used similar to a social security number, except you cannot get benefits," Ortiz said. "You cannot use it other than paying your taxes and there's millions of dollars of money that immigrants have been able to pay right now."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Fear is the overall sense' for Rochester Latinos after ICE detentions
Feb. 14—ROCHESTER — Word of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in Rochester have Latino community members on edge. At least five people in Rochester have been confirmed as being taken into custody by ICE agents, said leaders of the group Community Organizing Power and Action Latinos (COPAL) late Thursday afternoon. Those detentions stem from at least three separate operations taking place Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 12-13, 2025. A spokesperson for the group described a "feeling of unease in our community." Among those is a Rochester woman who has temporary legal status to remain in the U.S. She said she fears for herself but more for her parents, who are undocumented and who brought her to the U.S. She said the detentions came as a shock to her. "I was just thinking that Rochester is a safe city where people can come to do their jobs and live," she said. "Now I don't know if (ICE is) targeting people or doing this randomly." The woman, who asked to be quoted anonymously due to her legal status, is working in Rochester under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy. DACA was enacted in 2012 and allows some undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children to receive temporary protection from deportation and gives them authorization to work in the U.S. for a renewable period of two years. "I think for Latinos right now, fear is the overall sense," she said. David Perdomo, Southeast Minnesota lead organizer with COPAL, described the woman's sense of fear as being typical of many Latinos. "People fear someone detained and people being left alone without their family," he said. Yet in other places, such as El Super Gallo #1, a Mexican grocery store in northwest Rochester, life went on pretty much as normal. The store was open for business and the kitchen was busy as usual leading up to the lunch rush. "I need to get groceries," said Javier Gutierrez. "Sitting at home isn't helping anything." But he said he had made doubly sure not to leave home without his driver's license. "You never know," he said. Perdomo said that COPAL began receiving reports of ICE activity on Wednesday. He was in the COPAL office, in northwest Rochester, when a call came from a colleague of two brothers who were detained by ICE agents. The brothers are both employees of Nupa Mediterranean Restaurant. Perdomo received the call at 10 a.m. and raced to the restaurant, arriving 15 minutes later. "They were already gone," he said. Later, the office received a report of ICE agents visiting a Rochester apartment building and taking into custody at least one person there. That detainee also worked at Nupa, according to friends. COPAL is part of a nationwide Immigrant Defense Network. Staff are responding to reports of ICE activity in part to ensure that whoever is being detained is aware of their legal rights. "We want to make sure immigrant families feel like they are supported, and just give a firm message to ICE that we are watching and that we're expecting them to treat people fairly and recognize they're human rights," said Wendy Zuniga, COPAL communications director. "Whether they have legal status or not, they still have constitutional rights." Perdomo said he is working with COPAL community partners to help the wife of one of the detainees get food and rides to school for her children. Her husband had the family's bank cards in his wallet when he was taken into custody, the woman told Perdomo over the phone. Before the ICE activity, COPAL was planning "Love Your Immigrant Neighbor" events and activities throughout Rochester on Valentine's Day. Signs for the events were brought out early for an impromptu public rally in the Peace Plaza on Thursday morning. Perdomo said he was glad to see community members at that rally, demonstrating their support for the detainees and the local Latino community. He said he hopes to bring some positive visibility of Latinos for the rest of Southeast Minnesota. "We want to show our community we are not criminals, we are working people who want to thrive," he said. "We want to change the narrative."
