Immigration lawyers and advocates in Michigan are preparing their clients ahead of President-elect Donald Trump assuming office in January.
Although details remain unclear, Trump promised on the campaign trail to conduct the “largest deportation operation in American history,” and has suggested using local law enforcement and the National Guard to implement that plan.
In 2022, there were 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., including 130,000 in Michigan, according to a Pew Research Center analysis using American Community Survey data. Immigrants who don’t have citizenship but who have the legal right to stay in the U.S. may lose authorization if the incoming Trump administration ends or changes policies.
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Here are some specific steps that the legal services nonprofit Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) recommends noncitizens — which covers a broad spectrum of immigrants who don’t have citizenship — can do now:
What to know:
- MIRC says noncitizens can learn their rights and prepare their families. For more information, go to bit.ly/MIRCKYR.
- Ensure the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has the correct mailing address if there’s a pending application. People in removal proceedings, and who don’t have representation, can file for a change of address at respondentaccess.eoir.justice.gov/en/forms/.
- Children of noncitizen parents should apply for or renew their U.S. passport. For more information, go to bit.ly/USpassportinformation. People in mixed-status households should secure passports from their countries of origin.
- Legal permanent residents should apply for citizenship now, MIRC recommends.
- Immigrants with work authorization that expires in the next six months should apply for a renewal as soon as possible, the organization says.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that delays the deportation of undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, should submit for a renewal if their DACA status expires within six months, MIRC says.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
The federal government grants Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to people who can’t return safely to their home countries. MIRC suggest those with this status to consider whether they are eligible for another immigration status and apply for that if they are.
Immigration Parole
Individuals in immigration parole programs, particularly for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ukraine and Afghanistan, are legally present in the U.S. until their parole ends.
Asylum seekers
People come the U.S. every year seeking protection from persecution for a number of reasons, ranging from race and religion to nationality and political opinion.
Asylum seekers should apply for their first work permit, if they are eligible, even if they do not plan to work, according to the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, which MIRC cites. Asylum seekers should renew their work permit if they have a two-year permit that will expire before 2028. They should consider applying for another immigration status, alongside asylum, including for Temporary Protected Status.
For more information from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, go to bit.ly/MIRCTipsheet.
Detroit Free Press staff writer Dave Boucher contributed to this report. Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @NushratR.