Amidst this politically oppressive climate that the country has been experiencing, many individuals have been wondering what will become of them in the years to come under President Trump’s administration. This administration has made it bluntly clear that there is a malicious intent to dismantle the dreams and hopes of many individuals that have immigrated to this country for no other reason than to seek a better life. It has sought to openly destroy families by separating them with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids throughout the country leading to deportations and by banning certain individuals from entering the country.
While many undocumented immigrants wrestle with the thought of an uncertain tomorrow, a wide range of religious leaders in Los Angeles, California have decided to band together to form the Rapid Response Team to help hide and protect as many undocumented immigrants from ICE officers. This inter-faith group has sought to purchase homes in the surrounding area that would work as an underground network to provide refuge to families fearing ICE raids and deportation.
With these homes government officials would be required to obtain a warrant in order to search them; a layer of protection that schools and religious temples don’t have falling under a public domain. While ICE tend to shy away from conducting this type of work in “sensitive areas” there is no federal law that explicitly says that they cannot come into these areas to conduct their work. Homeland security set the restriction of searching these areas in 2011, but many religious people believe that this courtesy will not last under Trump’s administration.
The movement echos a similar initiative that occurred in the 80’s when many religious institutions provided shelter to Central Americans that immigrated to the US due to violence that plagued their home countries. What makes the Rapid Response Team different is that they have gone beyond simply providing shelter in religious temples and moved to providing houses that are equipped with food and clothes. Most importantly they aim to provide the element of concealment. These safe houses are located in the area of Los Angeles and look identical to any other house on the block.
Many news networks have provided interviews with individuals involved with the expansion of the Rapid Response Team. Through these interviews, it is made clear that the people helping are not criminals, that they do hold a fear of the consequences of their actions, but that ultimately their moral compass compels them to fight for the rights of those who are voiceless and living in the shadows of America.
Under the law, hiding undocumented individuals from government officials is considered a felony that is punishable with jail time. Yet the Rapid Response Team has the capacity to protect hundreds of immigrants with the hopes to expand their resources to be able to shield as many as a thousand families at a time.
In these difficult times, it becomes apparent that what is written as a law is not always the right thing. It takes people of great courage to defy an institution that holds the power to punish them.
It will take solidarity to keep the true tapestry of America intact.
