With president-elect Donald Trump promising mass deportations, West Marin immigrant rights advocates are organizing to resist what they fear will be a crackdown after the new administration takes office.
A rapid response team would respond if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents start knocking on doors or raiding businesses, and immigration attorneys are readying to offer advice before and during any raids.
West Marin Community Services and the county Public Defender’s Office are sponsoring “Know Your Rights” workshops to discuss constitutional protections against unauthorized searches and seizures. The first takes place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at the Point Reyes Community Presbyterian Church, the second on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the family center at Tomales Elementary School.
The sessions will offer advice about what to do if agents show up at your house, how to respond if police start asking questions and what to do if you are asked to sign documents.
A third workshop will be held in Bolinas at a time and place yet to be determined.
Local activists organized similar events at the outset of the first Trump administration in 2016, including a silent walk on Inauguration Day from Bear Valley to Toby’s Feed Barn. West Marin Community Services plans to organize a similar protest this year.