Arkansas immigration advocates brace for Trump presidency

• Context: Several forms of legal immigration status exist, like green cards.

Driving the news: Trump says he plans to use the military to carry out mass deportations.

• During his first term, he tried to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which shields people who came to the U.S. as children before 2007.
• Advocates are again bracing for Trump to try to discontinue the 12-year-old program, Axios' April Rubin writes.

State of play: Arkansas United is working to help immigrants with legal services, and is urging them to have a family preparedness plan in the event they are deported.

• For example, parents who are not U.S. citizens who have minor children who are citizens or have another legal status can ensure a family member or friend is appointed to be the children's guardian so they won't go into foster care if the parents are deported, Reith said.
• Those who might be eligible for citizenship should apply immediately. Arkansas United has seen its citizenship class double from about 20 to 40 participants since the election.
• Community organizers have also set up a fundraiser on Saturday in Springdale to raise money for DACA renewals.

By the numbers: Undocumented immigrants accounted for 2.3% of Arkansas' population as of 2021.

• Arkansas had about 4,000 DACA recipients as of spring 2023, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The big picture: Nationally, approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants reside in the U.S. Mass deportations could lead to a loss of about 4.2% to 6.8% of annual GDP in addition to affecting 8.5 million U.S. citizens with undocumented family members, Axios' April Rubin writes.

• "It's hard to imagine a scenario where there isn't disruptive of the economy, families and communities," Reith said.