Parents all over the United States have started to consider legal remedies to keep their children secure in case the parents are detained or deported. Immigration lawyer Helen Ramirez has introduced immigrant mothers to a document known as the power of attorney to address their concerns.
The power of attorney allows immigrant parents to assign another person to act as the child's caregiver in case of detention or deportation. The parents, however, do not lose custody of the child under such circumstances.
Immigrant parents got worried about the fate of their children after United States President Donald Trump vowed to deport immigrants who are unauthorized, according to USA Today. The power of attorney served as the child's legal protection and ensure they are not taken in by the authorities. Ramirez said, "They're scared of their children winding up adopted by a stranger and then having no control over it."
There are around 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the United States and four million of these have children. A Migration Policy Institute study shows that in New Jersey alone, over 168,000 children have parents who are illegal immigrants.
Trump already made his immigration policy clear even during the campaign season. The Department of Homeland Security under Trump widened the number of criminal offenses that can lead to the deportation of illegal immigrants, as per National Review. The policy changes made sure it deterred those with plans to enter the United States illegally.
Trump's policy, however, excluded children brought to the United States illegally and are called "DREAMers." With this policy exclusion, Trump continued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals implemented during the time of former President Barack Obama.
Despite this, immigration officers who forcibly ejected immigrants from their homes caused undue emotional and psychological strain on the families, according to The Conversation. Trump vowed to initially deport up to three million illegal immigrants
