Bernie T. has fond memories of his Mexican homeland, but he\u2019s been a Lehigh Valley resident since the 1980s and now considers himself a proud American citizen. His immigration and naturalization story involves raising a family with his American-born wife, working as an artist, photographer and teacher, and then retiring.<\/p>\n
But he didn\u2019t retire into a life of leisure. Bernie, who asked to be identified solely by his last initial due to the sensitive nature of his volunteer work, is a hotline dispatcher for the Lehigh Valley Emergency Response Network.<\/p>\n
The network\u2019s objective is to protect the most vulnerable immigrant populations in the Lehigh Valley, Bernie said.<\/p>\n
The network launched its hotline in July <\/a>to help people caught in immigration enforcement actions led by the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement Agency. Bilingual volunteers like Bernie are key to the networks\u2019 efforts to respond to callers\u2019 concerns.\n<\/p>\n While immigration lawyers and community activists have reported that ICE enforcement is increasing in the Lehigh Valley, federal immigration enforcement actions have remained limited compared with the large-scale federal operations seen in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.<\/p>\n The hotline was launched not long after a June workplace raid at Five 10 Flats in South Bethlehem swept up 17 construction workers who were repairing the building following a fire that displaced 135 residents and businesses. <\/a>The raid sparked large protests<\/a>. ICE offered only limited details about the identities of the detained workers, and community activists continue to report difficulties in tracking down the affected families.<\/p>\n . Last summer also saw a community outcry around ICE activity at the Lehigh County Courthouse.<\/p>\n Since then, however, those who call the emergency response network hotline, which can be reached at 610-850-9930, are not just reporting suspected sightings of ICE agents. Increasingly, many are seeking assistance, and the network has stepped up fundraising efforts to meet those needs.<\/p>\n The Rev. Jon Stratton, dean of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and an emergency response network volunteer, said reported needs have included legal aid, rent assistance and utility bill payment.<\/p>\n The church has also drawn on its discretionary fund, separate from the response network donations, to fund workshops that educate immigrants on how to apply for a green card and, in some cases, the church has paid green card application fees.<\/p>\n