A San Antonio immigration attorney says 'scared' would be the best way to sum up her clients following President Trump's orders restricting immigration from several Middle Eastern nations, calling for building a border wall, and taking other steps to crack down on immigration, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"A lot of them have family members who are in situations where they are illegally in this country," said Juanita Palaez-Prada of the firm of Begum Palaez-Prada PLLC. "Many of them are terrified, so much that they won't talk directly about it, even to their lawyer. They say things like, 'I know somebody, what do you think they should do while they're here...'."
She says there has always been a concern among immigrants about the possibility of a Trump Administration, but most immigrants didn't think Trump would be elected.
Even after the election, Palaez-Prada says most people didn't think he would follow through on his harsh campaign rhetoric about immigration.
She says her advice is similar to that classic British World War II morale poster--Keep calm and carry on.
"The best type of action is to wait," she said. "We don't know exactly how he is going to implement this plan, we don't know if this plan is going to stick, right? So the best action now is to remain calm.
"She says the attitude of her Muslim clients toward the travel bans imposed on several mostly Muslim nations are different---and are very eye opening.
"I have quite a few Muslim clients who have asked to change their names," she said. "They just want to fit in."
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