Latino Immigrants Fear Evacuations More than Hurricanes

By Peter Malof, Texas News Service

ALAMO, Texas – June marks the beginning of hurricane season – when many residents of Texas’ Rio Grande Valley find themselves weighing the dangers of a natural disaster against the threat of deportation. Community leaders and nonprofit groups hold a rally today (Friday) at border patrol headquarters in Edinburg, Texas. They want immigration enforcement authorities to clarify whether highway checkpoints will remain operational during emergency evacuations.

Otherwise, says Corinna Spencer-Scheurich, regional director of the South Texas Civil Rights Project, there is no way to convince undocumented families that they should get out of a hurricane’s path.

“We know that people won’t leave when their life is in danger. People tell us all the time, ‘It’s better to stay home with Grandma.’ And we can’t tell people when they ask, ‘Are we going to be able to make it through the checkpoints?’ We don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s very concerning.”

She says Customs and Border Protection officials have been sending mixed messages – insisting that preserving human life is the top priority during emergencies, but also suggesting that immigration and drug laws will be enforced during evacuations.

According to Spencer-Scheurich, Valley authorities are out of step with the rest of the country. In most regions, she explains, officials send clear messages to immigrant communities that those who are fleeing natural disasters won’t be targeted for documentation violations.

“Locally, we get the message, ‘We will not abandon our law-enforcement mission.’ It sends a message that people need to be aware of what the border patrol is going to do – when really, they should be concerned about, ‘How am I going to leave this area when a big hurricane comes?'”

She points out that, with a million people living in the Rio Grande Valley, immigration enforcement during emergencies endangers everyone, regardless of legal status, because highway checkpoints slow the evacuation efforts. Organizers of today’s rally want people to ask border patrol authorities to issue a clear statement about when checkpoints will be used – before, during, and after hurricanes.

The rally starts at 10 a.m. at the Customs and Border Protection office, 4400 South Expressway 281, Edinburg.

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[Photo by Elnias]

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