Immigration workshops scheduled

Friday, Mar. 24, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY — Many members of Utah’s immigrant community have been very alert to the presence of ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents in their communities, but the thin line between facts and rumors means that at times sharing information about this matter creates more fear.

To ease that uncertainty, organizations throughout the state are presenting free ‘Know your Rights’ workshops, as well as keeping their doors open for people seeking information and help.

One of these organizations, Catholic Community Services of Utah (CCS), offers sessions every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. so that people can meet with immigration specialists.

For these sessions, people are encouraged to set an appointment, but CCS also takes walk-ins.

“There is so much misinformation out there. … We want people to know they can come here and meet with people that are professionals in immigration,” said Adan Batar, CCS director of Immigration and Refugee Services.

CCS is one of the largest immigration services in Utah; for more than 20 years the immigration program at CCS  “has been providing full legal representation to immigrants and refugees when they submit applications to ‘legalize’ or upgrade their immigration status. CCS also provides individual consultations to immigrants, refugees and even U.S. citizens who have questions about immigration laws, procedures and basic eligibility,” according to the CCS web page.

Every year more than 1,000 immigration applications are filed through CCS.

“Once people come to a consultation, we decide if there is a case and proceed from there,” Batar said. “CCS is very happy to reach out to anyone that needs or wants information.”

Ever since President Donald Trump pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrant with criminal records, the immigrant community has been fearing roundups.

“Immigrants and refugees alike are worried,” said Batar.

In Park City in February, local media reported that four Hispanic undocumented immigrants were detained. Most recently, on March 1, a Muslim couple from Kenya was taken into immigration custody and held in the Cache County Jail.

On March 12, Saint Joseph Catholic Parish in Ogden held a free immigration workshop. Hundreds of people from the area attended to the free session facilitated by the Mexican Consulate, during which immigration lawyers as well as consulate personnel explained the rights that people have and actions they can take in case of a detention, as well as how to obtain a dual citizenship and a power of attorney for children, among other issues.

Several upcoming “Know Your Rights” workshops are being held at various locations in Salt Lake City, sponsored by different groups and with different presenters. A partial schedule follows.

• Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m.-noon, Glendale Middle School, 1430 Andrew Ave., SLC 

• Saturday, March 25, 1-4 p.m., Glendale Middle School, 1430 Andrew Ave., SLC 

• Tuesday, March 29, 6-9 p.m., Sunnyvale Neighborhood Center, 585 West 3900 South, SLC

• Tuesday, April 4, 6-8 p.m., Centro Civico Mexicano, 151 South 600 West, SLC

All the workshops are free.