National, local calls for deportation stoke fears — Lawyers, ACLU urge immigrants to prepare.
JACKSON — Attorneys in Jackson, Idaho and with the ACLU of Wyoming are urging undocumented immigrants to “be prepared” as federal deportation programs ramp up.
Shortly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed executive orders intended to broaden the reach of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE and promised to begin his mass deportation program in Chicago.
In the Tetons, unsubstantiated reports of ICE agents moving through the community have intensified growing fears of mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. Some people have started calling on one another to “report illegal aliens” on community social media pages in Star Valley and Teton Valley, Idaho.
“If we have that many people making hateful comments, then what is coming our way?” a person with close ties to the immigrant community in Teton Valley, Idaho, asked. The News&Guide has agreed not to identify the person, who fears being targeted for defending immigrants.
The individual spoke with the News&Guide to describe the emotional toll and increased stress being felt by the area’s immigrants and cited fake social media accounts whipping up anti-immigrant sentiment by claiming criminals are everywhere.
In Wyoming, meanwhile, Misty’s List, a catch-all sales site for Star Valley boasting almost 53,000 Facebook followers, had a post calling on community members to report undocumented immigrants wherever people might suspect them, including in their neighborhoods and at school and churches. That post has since been taken down.
“When you look at those kinds of posts and those comments, it makes it sound like the majority of the community feels that way,” the Idaho resident said, “but that’s not the majority of Teton Valley.”
The individual stressed that support is available offline. Allies are people who are not going on Facebook but reaching out in person to help figure this out, the community member said.
Latino leaders are calling on people to remain calm and to avoid inciting fear and spreading rumors.
“There is anxiety, uncertainty and a lot of fear, and that is why I invite you to remain calm to avoid collective hysteria,” Alicia Unger said in a Jan. 25 post. Unger is a reporter for Jackson’s Spanish-speaking television station, TODO TV.
Recent meetings with local businesses, nonprofits and lawyers from Wyoming and Idaho echoed the ACLU’s message calling for community members to be prepared and to know their rights.
“Do you know what to do if ICE shows up at your door?” Antonio Serrano, ACLU of Wyoming advocacy director, said in a news release last week. “If you get pulled over by the police when traveling? If you are questioned about your citizenship status at work? We want to ensure everyone understands their rights — and how to be better prepared to advocate for themselves, their family and their neighbors — in any language.”
ACLU resources for immigrants include information on what to do if questioned about immigration status, if stopped by police, immigration agents or the FBI, if police or immigration agents come to a home, if contacted by the FBI, if arrested, if taken into immigration custody and if one feels one’s rights have been violated.
At an event hosted by the Hispanic Resource Center of Teton Valley, attorney Elisabeth Trefonas stressed the need to have plans if someone is arrested for probable cause by ICE. That includes knowing the phone number of who to call if detained, putting in place a power of attorney in case another person needs to access one’s money, and knowing who will need to pick up and care for children.
Alycia Moss, an Idaho-based immigration attorney who held a workshop last week for nonprofits in Teton Valley, also stressed the importance of helping clients put a plan in place in the event they are detained. She said it is important to know the difference between an actual warrant signed by an immigration judge versus a document that only looks like a warrant.
To request the “Know Your Rights” packet through the ACLU, email conozcasusderechos@aclu.org or call 307-637-4565. Information in both English and Spanish can be downloaded at ACLU-wy.org/en/news/know-your-rights-immigrants-wyoming.
This story was published on January 29, 2025.