Arkansas immigrant advocacy group focuses on guiding people through ‘unprecedented moment’

An immigrant advocacy group is focused on education as a way to help soothe the concerns of Arkansans fearful of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. 

Mireya Reith, executive director of Arkansas United, told reporters in an online call Monday that this is an “unprecedented moment” and the 15-year-old nonprofit is “barely keeping our head above the waters.” 

Pointing to the half a million people logging onto Arkansas United’s Facebook page daily, as well as the hundreds of conversations the nonprofit is fielding with the Hispanic community each day, Reith said “information is critical at this time.”

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“Because of all that confusion, the trauma that has been experienced by our community is something beyond what I even saw in the first [Trump] administration or during COVID,” she said. 

Shortly after his inauguration last week, Donald Trump signed several executive orders, including one to end birthright citizenship that was immediately challenged in court and temporarily blocked by a federal judge. The Trump administration also halted Department of Justice programs that fund nonprofits that provide legal services to immigrants.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump promised mass deportations, and in the week since his inauguration, increased rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehensions have spread across social media. 

“There are individuals daily before they leave their house checking in with our networks to see if it’s even safe to go to school, to go to work, or to go to Walmart,” Reith said. “And I will say that level of trauma is something that will affect the economy of all Arkansans and has the potential to have negative repercussions outside of just the immigrant community.”

About 5% of Arkansas’ population is foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census. The Hispanic population accounts for roughly 9% of the state’s population. While Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents account for 0.5% of Arkansas’ total population, the state is home to the largest Marshallese community in the country, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. 

Based on conversations with colleagues across the country, Reith said there’s been increased visibility for ICE’s normal targeted enforcement as opposed to a massive ramp-up in operations as promised by Trump. That will likely require more funding from Congress, which probably happen before the spring as lawmakers are still considering how to approach the budgeting process, Reith said. 

At this moment, ICE is generally looking for immigrants with existing deportation orders or those with known criminal activity, she said.

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However, people with legal status can still get swept up in these apprehensions, as was the case in Newark last Thursday when an ICE raid led agents to detain several undocumented workers and U.S. citizens, including a military veteran, according to the New Jersey Monitor. 

To assist immigrant communities, Arkansas United is investigating rumored ICE sightings and disseminating accurate information. Reith said the nonprofit is also emphasizing the rights provided under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. The former safeguards against unreasonable searches and seizure of property. The latter, often referred to as “the right to remain silent,” protects against self-incrimination. 

The Trump administration has granted immigration officers an expanded authority to rapidly deport immigrants who arrived in the country within the last two years. To protect against this, immigrants with and without legal status are encouraged to carry paperwork to prove how long they’ve been in the country, Reith said. 

Arkansas United is also speaking with immigrants about preparatory actions, such as making sure they can access an attorney if needed and having plans for their families in a worst-case scenario.

“It’s a very challenging work to do, to ask people to think about their worst day, but that is the supportive work we’re trying to offer our community at this time,” she said.