Migrants in NYC express fears amid Trump's promise of mass deportations

As President Donald Trump begins his second term in office, his focus on immigration enforcement and mass deportations is sparking fear and uncertainty among migrant communities in New York City.

Asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and undocumented immigrants are all bracing for what changes President Trump's policies will bring.

Trump declares national emergency at border

What we know:

During his campaign and in the wake of his 2024 election victory, President Trump has emphasized his intention to carry out mass deportations. 

He signed a wave of executive orders Monday night, with many pertaining to immigration and border security. 

Some of the orders revive priorities from his first administration that his predecessor had rolled back, including forcing asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico and finishing the border wall

Others created sweeping new strategies, like an effort to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America, pulling the military into border security and ending use of a Biden-era app used by nearly a million migrants to enter America.

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Trump's plans are heightening anxiety among migrant communities, including asylum seekers and those with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

"I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came," Trump said in his inauguration speech to thunderous applause.

Immigration advocates say their offices are full

What they're saying:

"We have the worry, what will happen with us? Will they deport us? Will they give us asylum or not?" said one migrant man who spoke with FOX 5 NY. 

"At the community level there's certainly a lot of anxiety and fear about what this new administration will mean for immigration law and policy," said Nayna Gupta of the American Immigration Council.

Migrants line up outside a migrant re-ticketing center at St. Brigid School on E. 7th St. Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

That fear has caused many migrants to flock to the offices of lawyers and organizations dedicated to assisting immigrants.

"Ever since the election, I’ve been working overtime in my office — people are scheduling consultations because of paperwork," Immigration attorney Cheryl David said.

Trump's polices could have a huge impact on American families as well.

"There are over 5 million households with a U.S. citizen child or spouse. These families will be forced to make decisions that will hurt deeply," said Mario Russell, executive director of the Center for Migration Studies.

The backstory:

Trump’s first term saw a surge in deportations and strict immigration policies. 

Advocates fear that his second term could bring even more stringent measures, including changes to asylum processes and increased ICE enforcement.

Mexico agrees to take back migrants

By the numbers:

The Trump administration is reinstating its "Remain in Mexico" policy, which forced 70,000 asylum-seekers in his first term to wait there for hearings in U.S. immigration court.

Mexico, a country integral to any American effort to limit illegal immigration, indicated Monday that it is prepared to receive asylum-seekers while emphasizing that there should be an online application allowing them to schedule appointments at the U.S. border.

Immigration advocates say the policy put migrants at extreme risk in northern Mexico.

"This is déjà vu of the darkest kind," said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge. She said policies like "Remain in Mexico" have exacerbated conditions at the border while doing little to address reasons migrants leave home in the first place.

The Source: This article using reporting from the Associated Press and from crews on the ground and information collected from previous FOX 5 NY articles.

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