The best way to prevent deportation and all the events following the intervention of federal authorities is staying informed and joining activist groups in your neighborhood.
That was the recommendation of Blanca Pacheco, co-director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, who has been organizing groups of volunteers to counsel, and fight for the human rights of, undocumented immigrants in the Philadelphia area.
Pacheco's growing movement is called "New Sanctuary in the Streets" and involves professionals in the legal, social and religious fields. The plan is to intercede on behalf of immigrants, and not only Hispanics, who face problems with the immigration authorities.
"We are in charge of educating and providing the necessary tools to all the staff to go out," said Pacheco. She also noted that as a result of the new presidential election, the immigration issue is expected to remain at the forefront of the political debate during President-elect Donald Trump's first term.
Anyone interested in joining New Sanctuary can do so here, or by calling (267)333-9530.
To date, 800 people have been recruited and they expect to reach 1,000 volunteers.
Pacheco said the group will operate mostly with individual donations.
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"This is a difficult time and we know that there are many people with anger and fear, but we have to transform all that into feelings of action and join local groups because without that support nothing could be done," she said.
