Organizations offer workshops to prepare for the raids

In an increasingly hostile environment against immigrants, with raids and deportations by the Republican Trump administration, organizations are focusing on supporting the community to learn about their rights, about the plan we should have in case of deportation, but also about how to take care of ourselves emotionally in this tough and challenging process.

Let’s listen to this piece prepared by Daniela Rodríguez, a UC Berkeley scholar and reporter for Radio Bilingüe.

In response to the ongoing deportation operations, the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative) organized a meeting with representatives of local groups to help them prepare immigrant families and offer emotional support. This meeting, held virtually, was facilitated by Diana Díaz Madera, psychotherapist and founder of the organization Corazón Norte. Diana explains why they felt compelled to organize these community meetings as a matter of urgency.

Now that all the migration and anti-immigrant sentiments we are seeing are happening, it is important for communities to know their rights. But there is another part, the human part, in which we have to make a family plan in case there is a deportation, but at the same time take care of our feelings and those of our children.

The idea of this workshop is to provide local organizers with tools so that they can implement simple things to help families prepare, as well as training on how to explain to families their most basic rights, since many times, when addressing immigration issues, painful memories can be reactivated, says Diana.

Especially with those who have traumatic experiences in their country and who came here fleeing or who may have had encounters with “la migra” or the police.

For this reason, Diana, the psychotherapist, asks community organizers to be careful, as difficult experiences can generate anxiety. For these people, there are ways to make them feel relief during meetings.

Deep breathing that helps us to breathe and try to reduce the stress we are going in with, also a muscle relaxation that can be done in a minute, very simple, that the workshop facilitator can lead them to focus using all their senses, smell, taste, touch.

Diana also mentions that it is important to have conversations in the workshops about how parents can talk to their children about the family plan, if they are detained or deported by Immigration.

Be open to understanding what stage of emotional development your children are in and how they can use that information, particularly for that age, let’s say, I have a six to eight year old. What is it that they can process? And then I have another 17-year-old with whom I can give you more information. I can say, “Okay, if something happens to me, you’re going to be the one to call the lawyer,” versus a six- to eight-year-old that maybe we explain to them in a simpler way.

Above all, it’s important for parents to remain calm when having these conversations with their children, says Diana.

They can also model, tell them, “I’m worried, too. It’s normal to worry about this.” That helps children also feel that, if they are scared or worried, there’s nothing wrong, that it’s normal to worry.

And remember that, although parents want to protect their children from worrying information, the reality is that children understand from a very young age.

From the time they are four or five, six years old, that if they start to see when there is something that is hurting someone else, then they can sense if the parents are worried about “la migra”.

Also, by recognizing trauma that repeats itself from one generation to the next, we can prevent it in our children and families, especially in our local communities with a history of very impactful migration trauma, Diana points out.

“So, these stories and all these plots, scientists have been able to verify that this is passed genetically to the next generation. In itself, if there are molecules, in our genes, that what happened to my grandfather and the stress was so great that it changed the molecular part in a way, and now I’m passing it on to the next generation.”

That’s why Diana recommends families and community organizations, through Corazón Norte, to consider this issue in order to break the cycle of trauma.

“For people to come into awareness and help them say, ” Well, yes this has happened to me. I’ve lived my own trauma too. But now I have the power to use strategies so that this doesn’t keep happening to my kids.” And also as the people who are testing services, the organizations, they too have it in themselves to try to do better for the next generation.”

With all this in mind, they shift from fear-based conversations to information-based dialogues and a focus on trauma, which helps families feel better informed and prepared. Diana emphasizes not being afraid to engage in these discussions with their families.

“Because the more information we give our children, and good information, knowledge is power and they will feel more empowered and less afraid.

Many thanks to Daniela Rodriguez UC Berkeley scholar and Radio Bilingüe reporter.

So remember, information and knowledge of our rights help us to better respond to crisis situations such as deportation.

Corazón Norte works in California’s Central Valley and Los Angeles area.

Photo: Peg Hunter via flickr