By Allan Jamail / Guest writer
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia of the 29th Congressional District held a town hall meeting at the Houston Community College Northline Campus. The purpose of the meeting was to inform residents of their Constitutional Rights because of President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies, which made significant radical changes to former president Joe Biden’s policies.
The town hall was a standing room only crowd, including large numbers of attendees filling the room and doorways trying to hear speakers explaining their rights. The event was also made available online, which was also well attended.
Garcia opened the meeting with her own statement concerning the new
changes. She then introduced U.S. Congressmen Sylvester Turner and Al
Green, who delivered their positions on the new changes. All three of these Harris County Democratic Party congressional members pledge full support to work together to resist Trump’s policies on U.S. Constitutional grounds.
There are reports of school children coming home and finding their parents not there and not knowing how to locate them. Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said that for kids to go through this experience is inhumane. Separating children from their parents is not new for Trump; he did this during his first term as president.
U. S. Rep. Garcia said the last two weeks have been a nightmare for immigrant communities, with people telling her they are afraid immigration agents are waiting for them at schools, health clinics and churches, regardless of their citizenship status.
“This is why I put together a quick town hall meeting this week aimed at telling both documented and undocumented
Houston residents about their constitutional rights and what they should and shouldn’t do if federal agents knock on
their door.
“I want you all to know you’re not alone,” Congresswoman Garcia told the crowd. “That’s why we’re here. Know your rights and have the information you need to keep your family safe.”
“I know many of you are scared because immigration officers are no longer instructed to avoid targeting schools, churches and health clinics. Trump rescinded that policy when he took office last week, creating new concerns for people already fearful about Trump’s mass deportation plan,” Garcia said.
Garcia said when agents knock on the door; people can get nervous and forget their rights. So, she has printed up thousands of small red cards that can fit in people’s pockets with instructions in English and Spanish reminding them of their Fifth Amendment rights and what they should say if confronted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at home or in the community. Attendees were given these cards.
But beyond that, Garcia and others pushed the audience to make sure they talk to their families about creating a plan for if a parent or grandparent is suddenly detained. She said people need to have emergency plans in place, especially if they have children that need to be cared for.
In attendance, Houston immigration attorney Silvia Mintz said, “Everybody who resides in the United States has constitutional rights, and we need to make sure that we exercise our rights and, if we are not undocumented, that we make sure our sisters and brothers who are undocumented know their rights.”
“That includes making sure parents update their emergency contact numbers with their children’s school to ensure another trusted adult or family member can get their children if they are unable to.”
In addition, Mintz said they need to have emergency phone numbers and important papers, like birth certificates and marriage licenses in a place other family members can access if anything happens to them.
Mintz continued, “Chief among those rights one does not necessarily have to open the door or answer questions from immigration agents. A deportation warrant is not the same as a judicial warrant, and agents cannot legally enter a home under a deportation warrant without a verbal agreement from people inside.”
In addition, Mintz said people shouldn’t be signing papers they do not understand. Garcia said one of the things she’s encouraging people to do is get their passports for themselves and family members — including children — in case someone is deported so they can easily reunite with a loved one if something happens to them.
Garcia made clear she’s angry about the fear the Trump administration has helped spread in its first few days.
“Sadly, we know that the Trump administration is not doing what he said during the campaign: just going after criminals,” she said. “He’s also targeting many undocumented immigrants who do not have a criminal record and have been in our country for years.”
She pointed to a grandfather in Chicago who was reportedly caught in one of the deportation raids. “ICE should not be targeting our grandparents,” she said. “That’s insanity. They’re not criminals. Deporting them would not make us safer.”
At the town hall, Monica Zepeda, a teacher, said she feels like she needs clarification, too. The questions, she said, have started.
“Over the weekend, I had two students talk to me about what’s happening with immigration, and these are boys much taller than I am and the way that they posed the question was, ‘Are we going to be OK?’”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is assisting ICE in their arresting undocumented immigrants, issued the following executive order.
In accordance with Executive Order GA-46 issued by Governor Greg Abbott on August 8, 2024, hospital providers must ask each patient during the hospital intake process whether the patient is (1) a citizen or an alien lawfully present in the United States, or (2) an alien not lawfully present in the United States. Hospital providers must report to HHSC quarterly the number of inpatient discharges of any emergency visits by all patients and patients who are (1) a citizen or an alien lawfully present in the United States, and (2) an alien not lawfully present in the United States. Hospital providers must also report to HHSC quarterly the costs of care for patients who are not lawfully present in the United States. Hospitals began collecting the information on November 1, 2024, and are expected to begin reporting to Texas Health & Human Services on March 1, 2025.
When collecting information about a patient’s immigration status, hospital providers must provide notification that, as required by federal law, the response will not affect patient care.
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