LAKE WORTH, Fla. — This Sunday, immigrant communities are bracing for nationwide raids by immigration and customs enforcement to begin.
Meanwhile, others are planning protests and working together to provide advice and help to those affected.
On Friday evening, the Lights for Liberty vigil is kicking off across the country at 7 p.m.
Nearly 100 vigils are expected to take place, including one vigil in Homestead that is anticipated to draw in up to 1,000 people.
Another vigil is taking place at the First Congregational Church of Lake Worth, with 100 to 200 expected.
The vigil is an effort to protest inhumane conditions reported at immigration facilities in the United States.
“South Florida is really a beautiful melting pot and I think we really represents a wide range of cultures and community people,” said Melissa Salerno, who helped organize the local Lights for Liberty Vigil. “As uncomfortable as current events might make me, I cannot look away. I have a responsibility as an American citizen to make sure that we treat all human beings right, kindly.”
Salerno added, "These are innocent children who don’t have any control over their circumstances and I think that really we are setting in motion some irreversible trauma to those children."
This week, immigration attorneys are staying busy ahead of the reported immigration raids.
“We’ve had immigration raids before, this is nothing new but I haven’t seen our government announce it such a degree,” said Nadine Heitz with Heitz Immigration Law in Lake Worth. “It’s taken a hold of the local communities and sparked a lot of fear.”
That’s why Heitz’s law firm has been responding to an influx of very worried phone calls.
“It’s all about educating the public and knowing what your rights are,” said Heitz.
Gabe Adimari, who is from Argentina and has lived in the United States for 12 years, is fielding those calls for the firm and helping to calm fears.
“What we’re trying to do is give them the information they need. Although they are undocumented, they do have rights,” he said.
Heitz said she has been handing out flyers to the community and is posting them on her office windows and on social media.
“There’s a lot of rumors out there, a lot of misconceptions,” she said. “We're just trying to educate people to know your rights. Know that you do have the right to remain silent. You don’t have to answer questions. You don’t have to open your door to an ICE agent unless they have a signed warrant by a judge.”
If someone is stopped in the street, Heitz said they do not have to answer questions.
"Our constitution does still apply to everybody. As long as you’re on U.S. soil, whether you’re undocumented or not, the constitution does apply," she said.
Heitz added that some people might not even know they might be on the deportation list.
“I had one just the other day that I met with, a lady who didn’t know she had an outstanding removal order,” she said. “The only way that the court will let you know of a court date is through mail. And it’s just through regular mail. it’s not certified. It could have gone to the wrong address or you could've moved."
After Sunday, Heitz said they’ll be prepared for anything.
“There’s a manpower issue, too. There’s only so many ICE agents out there,” she said. “We just don’t know, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Lights for Liberty
The local vigil for Lights for Liberty runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Lake Worth on 1415 N. K Street. There will be guest speakers and comments from host pastor Jason Fairbanks.
They'll also be collecting donations for migrant girls being sheltered at a new facility that recently opened in Lake Worth.
