President Trump's Executive Orders on immigration affect thousands of immigrants and refugees living right here in Tucson.
Lawyers at the University of Arizona are taking action to help the community know their rights on the three orders dealing specifically with immigration and refugees.
The University of Arizona College of Law is hosting a community forum Wednesday night to explain the orders, answer any questions people may have and offer one on one free legal help.
Nina Rabin, a law professor at the university said there is a lot of fear about deportations even for people who have lived in this country for years.
"It's important to understand that these {orders} don't just take away people's rights," Rabin said. "So, even if it does increase enforcement efforts that people still have rights, constitutional rights, and rights in the immigration court system, and we really want to encourage people to understand what their rights are."
She said that undocumented students are not specifically listed in any of the orders, but that there could be repercussions for them as well.
"President Trump has said that he is not prioritizing young people who are childhood arrivals, but on the other hand, the measures he announced are so far reaching that they very likely would impact a lot of undocumented people of all ages, including students."
The most important recommendation Rabin has for immigrant and refugee families and students: seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
"We're going to see a lot of families separated, we're going to lose a lot of contributing members of our community if these orders are implemented the way they are described," Rabin said. "And it might happen in big splashy ways with raids, or it might just happen quietly with arrests that are people pulled over for traffic violations and then put into our immigration system."
If you'd like to attend and have your questions answered, The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law community forum is Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 164 (Ares Auditorium).
All are invited to attend.
You can also watch it live online. Just click HERE.
