Illegal immigrants in Sacramento last year were afforded legal aid to fight deportation, apply for citizenship along with other services from a program the city funded with $300,000, a report said.
The Family Unity, Education and Legal Network for Immigrants program—also known as FUEL—provided services to more than 6,000 families, including “know your rights” presentations and emergency preparedness training, the Sacramento Bee reported.
“Many undocumented people would come to our organization immediately after [President Trump’s] election and ask, ‘What do I do if I’m deported or detained? What happens to my children?’ We helped make plans for that,” Marcus Tang, an immigration attorney, said at a city council presentation Tuesday.
The program funded legal aid for 28 illegal immigrants to help fight their removal from the sanctuary city, the paper reported. Legal assistance was also paid for 300 illegal residents applying for citizenship, green cards and other services.
The funding also helps create legal guardianship for citizen children and financial plans for illegal immigrants in case they are deported or detained, the Bee reported. Sacramento residents who are not U.S. citizens number at about 49,000, including about 4,100 children, the paper reported, citing U.S. Census Bureau figures from last year.
Those with criminal records are not eligible for funding, exceptions can be made for minor offenses like marijuana possession, the paper reported.
Sacramento Councilman Eric Guerra forwarded a motion Tuesday to extend the program with additional funding, the paper reported.
“We need to take the president at his word that he will go after working families in Sacramento,” Guerra told The Bee. “I think it’s imperative this program be continued.”
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