When news broke last month that an immigration enforcement “surge” was coming to San Francisco, many immigrant families felt a familiar anxiety return. City officials reported that fewer parents sent their children to school on Thursday, the day Border Patrol agents were expected to arrive in the Bay Area. Businesses catering to immigrants also said they saw fewer customers all throughout the week.
Though the surge was eventually called off, many parents had to face a question they had long sought to avoid: What would happen to their children if they were detained?
Since January, community advocates have urged immigrant families without legal status to prepare for potential deportations, with limited success. Amanda Maya, immigrant rights program director at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (LCCRSF), said many unrepresented families she meets who are waiting for immigration court hearings still haven’t identified who would care for their children if they were separated.
Outside of the courtroom, though interest in family preparedness plans has grown in schools and clinics, advocates note that a large number of families still need multiple sessions for the message to sink in.
Emergency planning can feel intimidating, advocates acknowledge, involving legal documents and conversations that are emotionally difficult for any parent. To make the process more accessible, several nonprofit organizations, including the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s (ILRC) have created guides to help families plan ahead.
“There’s no way to prevent when your parents are unjustly detained and separated from you,” said Maya. “But these plans at least make sure that there’s a sense of stability in a moment of incredible instability in that child’s life.”
Here are five steps immigration advocates recommend:
Step 1: Talk with your kids about emergency planning
Advocates recommend starting with a conversation to reassure children that someone they trust will take care of them if their parents are detained.
“If your children are of an age where they can participate in your family plan, it’s even better,” said Amy Aguilera, a civic engagement organizer at Poder. “If they understand that there is an emergency and they feel like they can contribute and like they’re a part of the plan, they won’t feel left out and they will feel less scared.”
These conversations can be difficult, often touching on whether or not parents would bring children with them if deported or have them stay in the U.S. with relatives. But experts say that honesty can actually make kids feel more at ease.
“Kids can sometimes be a lot more intuitive than we think,” said Dr. Raul Gutierrez, a San Francisco pediatrician who works primarily with Spanish-speaking immigrant families. “If the threat of being detained and deported is something that’s bothering you as an adult, it’s probably a good idea to check in with the kids and the youth around you and see how they’re feeling about it.”
Gutierrez said deportation fears can cause “a lot of anxiety” in kids, showing up as headaches, stomach aches, sleep problems or poor performance in school. Talking through these “big emotions” and involving older children in planning can help reduce stress, he added.
Step 2: Choose and contact a trusted adult
One of the most important parts of an emergency plan is deciding who will care for children in a parent’s absence.
When choosing that person, Maya advises families to think about a person they already rely on for financial or emotional support, often someone who already helps with childcare.
“It usually becomes very clear who that person is,” she told El Tecolote. That person doesn’t necessarily need legal status, though Maya says it’s preferable because it minimizes their own risk if they need to assist parents in a detention facility.
For recent arrivals without nearby family members or friends, Aguilera urges people to join school programs or community organizations to build supportive relationships. Once a trusted adult is identified, parents should confirm they’re willing to take on the role. She also recommends preparing a list for them with key information: children’s doctors, medications, allergies and how to contact parents abroad if they are deported.
“You want them to know what your plan is,” Aguilera said.
Aguilera also recommends adding their trusted person as an emergency contact at school and making sure everyone in the family memorizes their phone number.
Step 3: Explore legal options for your trusted adult
Beyond a verbal agreement, parents can take legal steps to ensure another adult can make decisions for their child. In California, legal experts recommend the Caregiver Authorization Affidavit or guardianship.
Caregiver Authorization Affidavit: This form allows caregivers to enroll a child in public school and consent to school-related medical care such as vaccinations. Qualified relatives can also make some limited medical and dental decisions on behalf of children.
A caregiver doesn’t need legal status, and the form doesn’t require a parent’s signature. Aguilera says it’s “the best thing that you can use in an immediate emergency,” since it’s quick to fill out and easy to show schools and doctors. However, the form is only valid in California, limiting where caregivers can make these decisions for children.
Guardianship: This designation grants an adult full custody and legal responsibility for a child, decided through family court. Because the process can take a few months, Maya encourages families to file paperwork in advance.
“If children are in the hospital, if the parents are not there, the doctors will have a really hard time listening to the aunt with respect to what should happen to the child,” Maya said. “But if the aunt has guardianship of those children, then she has the authority, then she has power and that’s really important.”
A new California law allows parents to nominate a caregiver as a joint guardian, granting them temporary custody if parents are deported or detained. This change lets parents preserve their rights once reunited with their children, making the process more accessible to immigrant families.
Still, Aguilera cautions parents to be selective about who they nominate. “You really have to know that this is the right choice for you,” she said. “This does grant all of the legal rights of the children to that individual.”
Step 4: Organize important documents and make sure IDs are valid
Advocates recommend creating a folder with essential documents such as birth certificates, passports, immigration forms or criminal record documents, and keeping it in a secure location known to the family’s emergency contact.
Aguilera suggests making multiple copies, including copies of house and car keys, in case anything gets misplaced.
Also important, Aguilera says, is making sure each family member has valid IDs from their country of origin. Parents with U.S.-born children should also consider applying for dual citizenship and getting passports from both countries. That way, if parents get deported, children can more easily travel with them or receive services abroad.
“If your kids already go as citizens,” Aguilera said, “it’s easier for them to just integrate and get the services that they need.”
Step 5: Set aside savings and seek legal advice
Immigration processes can be expensive. Bonds for release from detention can start at $1,500. Detention centers often charge detainees high fees to call family members and friends, and once deportation becomes a reality, there are additional costs to consider, like airplane tickets for children and hotels.
If possible, Aguilera recommends parents set aside $5,000 to $10,000 to cover these expenses.
“It’s difficult in this economy to save, but it’s important,” Aguilera said. “In an emergency, you just, you never know how much you’re gonna spend.”
Advocates also urge families to connect with immigration attorneys early to explore the possibility of adjusting their status or seeking relief.
Some community resources available in San Francisco include:
- Mission Asset Fund: Provides loans for USCIS application fees and offers direct cash assistance through the Alma Fund for families whose main earner is detained.
- City and County of San Francisco: Offers free financial counseling to help residents plan for emergencies, including immigration detention.
- La Raza Community Resource Center (LRCRC): Offers free and low cost immigration legal services, with drop-in hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
What other support is available?
As reports of ICE raids ripple across the country, advocates remind families that emergency planning is not just about deportation, since natural disasters and other crises can also separate children from caregivers.
At the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), school leaders encourage a harm-reduction approach: parents should start with the basics, like filling out their children’s emergency contact cards, and build from there, such as printing out a caregiver affidavit.
“For someone who’s endured so much trauma to come here and seek asylum, who maybe was already separated from their young person for decades and then just got reunited with them to start thinking about this again, like it’s horrific, honestly,” said Angelina Romano, the district coordinator for SFUSD’s Refugee and Immigrant Solidarity Communication Program.
Romano urges immigrant families to lean on their community for help with daily tasks like taking kids to school, grocery shopping or laundry. SFUSD, for instance, can connect families that have pending ICE check-ins with legal consultations, the city’s Rapid Response Network or volunteers to accompany them to their appointments.
She adds that memorizing the Rapid Response Hotline (415-200-1548), knowing one’s rights and connecting with resource providers early on can make a crucial difference.
“It’s really important for families, too, to not go fully underground and to live in that level of fear,” she added. “And if you’re going to, at least try to find ways to build community and have folks whether it’s at your school or your neighbors who can support you.”