\t\t\t\t\tWhat’s at stake:<\/p>\n
As immigration enforcement intensifies, California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a law that expands who can legally act as a temporary caregiver. The change comes at a time when nearly half (about 45%) of California\u2019s children have at least one immigrant parent.<\/p>\n
Around last November\u2019s election, Nora Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez and her husband worried about what would happen if they were detained by immigration enforcement officers and no one could care for their 6-year-old son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez said their concern stems from intensified racial profiling from immigration enforcement across the U.S.<\/a> and from their own frontline work in immigration advocacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n They began having conversations about a family preparedness plan<\/a>, a set of actions and documents to ensure a family\u2019s safety and well-being during an emergency, such as deportations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current political climate has shown that people are being racially profiled and are up for grabs,\u201d Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez said. \u201cIt\u2019s a scary thought where you\u2019re racially profiled, taken abruptly, and violently by masked thugs.\u201d<\/p>\n They specifically have a Caregiver\u2019s Authorization Affidavit<\/a> in place, a California legal form that allows a person, who is not the parent or legal guardian, to make temporary decisions for a minor child in their care.<\/p>\n Never miss the top stories in Fresno \u2014 sign up for our free, daily newsletter.<\/p>\n A recent California law, called the Family Preparedness Act of 2025 (AB 495)<\/a> makes it easier for families, particularly those with a risk of separation due to immigration enforcement, to have a Caregiver Authorization Affidavit to create a plan for child care.<\/p>\n Under their plan, Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez\u2019s parents would take in their son first. If they ever became unable to care for him, her siblings would step in and alternate responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cI highly encourage everyone to prepare for things that are in your control,\u201d Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez said. \u201cIt\u2019s important for immigration advocates or attorneys or forward-facing people who offer these services to have one, we are all targets.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter what\u2019s happening in Sacramento or Washington, we will continue to do what we\u2019ve always done: hold our local officials accountable and report the stories that shape daily life in Fresno. <\/p>\n Become a monthly member today during our crucial end-of-year campaign so that we can continue to tell hyperlocal stories you won’t find anywhere else. All donations are matched through December 31.<\/p>\n What are the different options available for family preparedness plans?<\/p>\n As a program manager with Faith in the Valley<\/a>\u2019s Valley Watch Network, Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez conducts English and Spanish presentations on family preparedness planning, helping parents think ahead about who will care for their children if they are detained or deported.<\/p>\n She advises parents to keep emergency contacts updated at their children\u2019s schools and to ensure those contacts are people they trust so children don\u2019t end up \u201cin limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n She explained that a family preparedness plan can take several forms, including a verbal agreement with a potential caregiver, a caregiver\u2019s affidavit, or establishing legal guardianship.<\/p>\n Families are encouraged to formally designate a caregiver by completing a caregiver\u2019s affidavit, as it gives that person legal authority to make certain medical and school-related decisions.<\/p>\n She noted that California\u2019s recent law expands who can serve as an authorized caregiver to include trusted neighbors or friends, which benefits families without relatives nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n The law also increases privacy safeguards in schools and childcare settings by limiting the collection or sharing of immigration-related information and requiring updated state guidance on handling immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez said the affidavit helps preserve parental rights and offers options if a parent is deported\u2014whether they want their children reunited with them abroad or to remain in the U.S. under a permanent arrangement. In those situations, Faith in the Valley connects families with family law attorneys who can help establish guardianship or other legal protections.<\/p>\n For families seeking guidance, Zaragoza-Y\u00e1\u00f1ez recommends the Immigrant Legal Resource Center\u2019s planning guide<\/a>, which outlines childcare options, important documents to gather, emergency contact information, and checklists to organize medical, educational, and identification records. She also urges parents to keep their children\u2019s school records updated with their chosen caregiver and preparedness plans.<\/p>\n Pricilla Ramos, project manager for advocacy and community organizing at the Education and Leadership Foundation<\/a>, said concerns about enforcement have long been present in Fresno and surface frequently in conversations with schools and district leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said the first step is having difficult conversations with families about the possibility of separation which includes preparing essential documents and speaking with legal service providers to understand possible immigration options.\u00a0<\/p>\n While organizations can provide basic templates, Ramos said the strength of a family preparedness plan comes from tailoring it to each family\u2019s circumstances, since \u201cnot every family is a one-size-fits-all.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that there are also guides<\/a> explaining what to do if immigration enforcement knocks on the door, how to respond when shown a warrant, what steps to take if detained, and which documents to store securely.<\/p>\n What happens if both parents are detained and there\u2019s not a trusted adult to care for their child in Fresno County?<\/p>\n When a parent in Fresno County is detained by immigration authorities, the county\u2019s child welfare system is not automatically involved, said Kim Smith, deputy director of Child Welfare at Fresno County Department of Social Services.<\/p>\n Their involvement begins when a call comes into the care line, known as the county\u2019s Child Protected Services hotline. Each call is screened based on the information provided, and staff may offer guidance or resources. If the report includes allegations of abuse, neglect, or a caretaker\u2019s absence, it can trigger an investigation.<\/p>\n In those situations, a social worker evaluates whether a parent\u2019s detention has left a child without someone to care for them. The aim, Smith said, is to follow whatever preparedness plan the family already has in place, such as arranging for a relative to care for the child.<\/p>\n Smith said Fresno County is already largely aligned with the intent of California\u2019s new AB 495, since the county\u2019s approach prioritizes keeping families together.\u00a0<\/p>\n When a child comes to the county\u2019s attention and a caretaker is missing, staff first look to create a plan at the most basic level with relatives. The county already helps families develop care plans and works with 13 Neighborhood Resource Centers<\/a> to ensure they can access support.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will reduce the need for child welfare involvement by expanding caregiver authorization,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt gives families access and encourages parents to identify trusted caregivers and make proactive plans that preserve family connections.\u201d<\/p>\n If no relatives or close family friends can be identified, the county places children in approved resource family homes, supervised by the child-welfare agency and operated by a qualifying \u201cresource family,\u201d<\/a> and then works with those homes to offer children stability.<\/p>\n Maintaining educational and emotional stability, Smith added, is key to minimizing trauma. The department partners with local education agencies, probation, behavioral health, and regional centers to ensure that children can stay in their schools and communities.<\/p>\n \u201cKeeping a kid connected to community, school, and family helps with their mental wellness,\u201d Smith said. \u201cOur number one goal is to prevent children from entering care whenever possible and to maintain family connections.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennifer Podkul, chief of global policy and advocacy at Kids in Need of Defense<\/a> (KIND), said the organization sees a growing number of children enter deportation proceedings on their own, either after being apprehended at the border or picked up within the U.S. Once detained, they\u2019re classified as \u201cunaccompanied minors\u201d and given individual deportation cases, a process that often takes years.<\/p>\n After apprehension, Podkul explained, children are sent to federal shelters while the government searches for an adult sponsor, typically a parent, relative, or family friend, who agrees to care for them during their case. Once placed with a caregiver, KIND provides legal assistance and social services, including access to food, clothing, and mental health support, especially given the trauma many children have experienced.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new California law helps mixed-status families plan for emergencies, but Podkul emphasized that children already in proceedings are facing fast-changing federal policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n She described policies shifting daily, from President Donald Trump\u2019s administration offering $2,500 to some unaccompanied minors to \u201cvoluntarily\u201d self-deport<\/a> to tightening legal access and renewing detention. ICE has increasingly detained children following routine hearings or incidental enforcement encounters and transferred them to government shelters, resulting in about 600 detentions<\/a> so far this year, according to reporting by Propublica.<\/p>\n Increasingly, KIND\u2019s Fresno office is seeing children who were already living with family being redetained and kept in federal custody until deportation, a shift she described as a \u201cpath of exit\u201d rather than a path to protection. This constant flux, Podkul said, has fueled confusion nationwide about how to support immigrant children.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day there\u2019s something new,\u201d Podkul said. \u201cOne day we get an email saying there\u2019s a new directive: now we\u2019re offering kids money if they go back; now we\u2019re taking away their lawyers; now we\u2019re putting them back in federal custody. It\u2019s constant.\u201d<\/p>\n For Podkul, the most urgent concern is the \u201cgravity of the unknown.\u201d Without centralized tracking, she said, no one knows how many children are being separated from their parents.<\/p>\n How does family separation affect a child\u2019s mental health?<\/p>\n First Five Fresno County<\/a>\u2019s executive director Fabiola Gonz\u00e1lez and early childhood initiatives director Hannah Norman said the current climate of immigration enforcement has parents reconsidering school, child care, and other services to protect their children, which could compound early trauma.\u00a0<\/p>\n They emphasized that the first five years of life are critical: About 90% of a child\u2019s brain develops during this period<\/a>, and early trauma\u2014like separation from a parent\u2014can shift a child\u2019s brain from learning to survival mode.\u00a0<\/p>\n Norman explained that children cannot comprehend the legal complexities of a parent\u2019s detention, only the loss of a trusted caregiver, which can create trauma that carries into adulthood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are trying to support all of the efforts that we know are wrapped around that child\u2019s first five years, to make sure that they show up to school ready to learn, and anything that gets in the way of a safe, healthy environment,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said.<\/p>\n They said that the organization focuses on filling gaps in early childhood care and promoting awareness of toxic stress, which can have lifelong mental and physical health effects. This includes investments in home visitation, parent-child programs, and other supports to mitigate the impacts of toxic stress and family separation.<\/p>\n