East Texas immigration enforcement surge raises concerns for local families, advocates

Increased immigration enforcement in East Texas is prompting more calls to local advocates and immigration attorneys, who say some families are seeking help understanding their options.

Gilbert Urbina, executive director of the Hispanic American Association of East Texas, said his organization has seen more people affected by immigration enforcement.

“We have seen an increase in immigration enforcement,” Urbina said. “Some of our clients who don’t have a Texas driver’s license have been arrested, detained and removed.”

Urbina described one recent case involving a man from El Salvador who had lived in the United States since 2015.

Urbina said the man was detained in July after he was stopped while driving and did not have a Texas driver’s license. He remained in custody from July 24 until early September before being removed to El Salvador, according to Urbina.

The man’s wife is a U.S. citizen and is undergoing cancer treatment, Urbina said. The couple’s two children are U.S. citizens and attend college in Tyler.

Urbina said the family had been working through the immigration process before the man was removed.

“They were trying to work through the immigration process, and now they have a family member that has been removed from the United States,” Urbina said. “So now we have a struggling family.”

Urbina said the case demonstrates how immigration enforcement can affect more than the person who is detained.

“When a family is affected, the community overall is affected,” he said.

Jose Sanchez, an immigration attorney in Longview, said his office has also received more calls about immigration-related concerns.

“I myself and other immigration lawyers are getting obviously more calls than normal,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said he has seen immigration enforcement activity in East Texas, including in Longview and Gregg County.

He encouraged people with questions about their individual immigration status to seek advice from a qualified immigration attorney.

“You always want to be prepared for any situation, especially in these situations of being detained by immigration,” Sanchez said.

Urbina said his organization continues to assist people navigating the immigration process.

In the case he described, the father is now in El Salvador while his wife continues cancer treatment in Tyler and their children remain in college.