There are up to 127,000 undocumented immigrants in Michigan, many of them anxious about Trump

Groups in metro Detroit are mobilizing to educate and protect immigrants under a Trump presidency

Latino immigrants and even residents who are born in the U.S. fear increased racial profiling

Sitting in the foyer of his home on Detroit's west side, Sergio Martinez worries about his future.

Born in Mexico, Martinez has temporary permission to stay and work in the U.S. under a program for children of undocumented immigrants, but he fears that could be rescinded under the presidency of Donald Trump as part of a broader crackdown on immigration.

"It's nerve-racking, wracking, to say the least," Martinez, 28, said on a recent Tuesday afternoon, a painting of Detroit's skyline that reads "Nothing Stops Detroit" hanging on the wall behind him. "The undocumented community ... are scared to death right now about what this means for their families, what this means for their children at school."

NU The uncertainty of what may happen is weighing heavily on the minds of many undocumented immigrants in Michigan, who experts say are an integral part of the economy and life of many communities across the state. ENDNU They work in restaurants, small factories, construction, and on farms, with, with m many owning homes and running businesses. And now, they're learning about their legal rights and preparing for what may happen as some push for churches and schools to be potential sanctuaries.

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There are about 97,000 to more than 126,000 undocumented immigrants in Michigan, out of more than 11 million nationwide, nationally, according to estimates from the Migration Policy Institute and the Partnership for a For A New American Economy. The number has decreased from a peak of 150,000 a few years ago. About half of them are from Latin countries, with 40% from Mexico, and 35% from Asian countries such as India, Iraq, and China.

About 6,700 in Michigan (750,000 total nationwide) nationally) are young immigrants like Martinez, born to undocumented immigrants and known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients who can temporarily work or study and not be deported. A study released this last summer by the Partnership for a For A New American Economy said undocumented immigrants in Michigan are vital to the economy, paying $83 million in local and state taxes and $178 million in federal taxes.

Martinez, who works as a general manager in restaurants, would like to stay in the city and help it grow but is not sure if he has a future there.

"It's still really surreal," Martinez said of possible changes under a Trump administration. "I still cannot believe it. Sometimes, I'm like, 'No, there's no way.' Just waiting for something. But no, it's real."

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Trump and many of his supporters have portrayed undocumented immigrants as a burden that hurts American-born workers and who needs to be deported. In a "60 Minutes" TV interview last month, Trump said he would start deporting 2 million to 3 million 2- to 3-million undocumented immigrants with criminal records once he takes office.

Advocates say there aren't that many undocumented immigrants with criminal records, and wonder if Trump will also end up targeting undocumented immigrants without criminal records. In a interview with Time magazine released earlier this month Dec. 7, Trump suggested he would be open to allowing DACA recipients to stay. His sometimes-conflicting remarks have led to confusion for many. , unsure of what will happen under his administration.

Trump said says he will deport "just the bad ones," ", said Ryan Bates, director of Michigan United, an advocacy group based in Detroit. "But we know that's not true. There aren't three 3 million criminals to deport and further, we reject the notion that you can slice and dice communities into good immigrants and bad immigrants.

"Mass deportations and roundups that break apart families are inhumane, are un-American, are a moral monstrosity and an economic calamity, and we’re going to fight it every inch of the way."

But conservative groups that want to curb immigration, such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) — founded by Michigan doctor Dr. John Tanton of Michigan — are urging Trump to undo Pres. President Barack Obama's approval of DACA and to crack down harder on immigration, both illegal and legal. Dr. Tanton, a retired ophthalmologist​ in Petoskey, is the "architect of the modern anti-immigration movement," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"Illegal immigration and unchecked legal immigration are detrimental to the quality of life in the United States," FAIR said in a report on immigration priorities released after Trump was elected. "The American family is increasingly bearing the costs of urban sprawl, environmental degradation, traffic congestion, increased crime, overburdened health care, overwhelmed public schools and debt-ridden state and municipal governments — all results of uncontrolled immigration."

The city of Detroit has a more positive view of immigrants, calling itself a "welcoming city" and citing a 2007 law that prohibits local police from profiling based on immigration status. But it's stopping short of calling itself a "sanctuary city." in the way that Trump uses the term to denote illegal activity. Trump said during the campaign he would slash aid to what he called "sanctuary" cities that allow undocumented immigrants.

Debate over immigrants

Immigrant advocates said says that mass deportations could disrupt businesses across Michigan and lead to population losses; Michigan is the only state in the U.S. to have lost population over the past 15 years and has struggled to attract newcomers.

The report by the Partnership for a For A New American Economy, a coalition of 500 mayors and business leaders, said that undocumented immigrants in Michigan "contribute to a range of industries that could not thrive without a pool of workers willing to take on highly labor-intensive roles."

More than seven percent 7% of all workers in Michigan's farm industry are undocumented, six percent 6% of all employees in the accommodation and food services industry are undocumented, as are and 3% three percent of all manufacturing workers, the report said. About 40% of Michigan's undocumented immigrants own their homes, and 5,100 of undocumented immigrants are self-employed. In 2014, they contributed about $158 million to Social Security through taxes on their individual wages.

"Large numbers of undocumented immigrants in Michigan have also managed to overcome licensing and financing obstacles to start small businesses," the report said.

A separate report released in 2013 by the liberal group Center for American Progress said legalizing undocumented immigrants would create a $10 billion increase in gross state product in Michigan, with a half a billion increase in taxes from undocumented immigrants in Michigan.

But the conservative group FAIR said in a 2011 report that Michigan is harmed by undocumented immigrants; it says they cost costing taxpayers in the state about $897 million in 2010, including $377 in education costs and $143 million in public assistance.

NU Legal immigration also could be at stake as Trump during his campaign talked of reducing the number of immigrants who should be allowed into the country. ENDNU

Many businesses in metro Detroit rely on high-skilled labor from legal immigrants.

Foreign students contribute more than $1 billion to Michigan's economy, making up between 40% to 70% of graduate students in fields involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics, NU STEM fields, ENDNUsaid Steve Tobocman, a former state representative from southwest Detroit who now heads the immigrant advocacy group Global Detroit.

"One can only imagine how talented, entrepreneurial and hard-working folks across the world will be impacted about their desires to pursue the American D dream after an election that many believe was swayed by anti-immigrant rhetoric," Tobocman said.

Martinez came to the U.S. in 1993 along with his father when he was 5 five years old. His father overstayed a visa, making him and Martinez illegal residents. His father worked hard, but his inability to get a driver's license stunted his growth and they lost a couple of homes he once owed.

Martinez graduated from high school in Detroit and now manages some restaurants in metro Detroit. He had thought of opening his own business a couple of years ago, but the lack of legal identification ID prevented him.

"Immigrants from all over are entrepreneurial by nature because they open their own businesses," Martinez said. "If you look at how much they can contribute, it doesn't make sense why you want to deport them."

The city of Detroit, which is losing population, needs all the residents it can get, Martinez said. The block he lives on near the I-96 highway is dilapidated, with burnt-out buildings and stray cats.

"Here in Detroit, we have so many vacant properties, and you'd rather deport people in your neighborhood than give them the opportunity to invest in the city, or open businesses in the city? Come on."

Detroit's reaction to Trump

How Trump's new administration will deal with immigration is still unclear. Some of his picks for cabinet positions , such as U.S. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) for Attorney General, and others he's reportedly considering for other positions, such as Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Retired Gen. John Kelly, have hard-line views on immigration. But at times, Trump has softened some of his views on immigrants.

Scott Hagerstrom, who directed Trump's campaign in Michigan, did not respond to a request for comment.

In cities like New York City and San Francisco, mayors have held news press conferences in recent weeks, saying their cities will be sanctuaries under a Trump administration, a status that which prevents local officials from enforcing federal immigration laws. Detroit officials say the city is open to all, but isn't a sanctuary in the way Trump defines it. In Detroit, city officials say that Detroit is open to all people, but say that it is not a sanctuary city, in terms of how Trump defines it.

In 2007, the city passed a law that prohibits profiling by police by immigration statues, and other categories such as race and ethnicity. The law also said that police can't ask about a person's immigration status unless officers they are helping federal law enforcement investigating a crime or when arresting someone. The law helps make it easier for victims of crime or witnesses who might be undocumented to come forward to police, say immigrant advocates.

"As clearly stated in our city ordinance, Detroit police officers do not try to act as immigration officers and don't profile or investigate anyone for the purpose of determining their immigration status," Alexis Wiley, the chief of staff to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, told the Free Press. "What we do is to treat all people equally. If any person, regardless of their immigration status, is being investigated by federal authorities regarding a specific crime, our officers will cooperate with that investigation."

"The M mayor has always made it clear that Detroit is a welcoming city for all people," Wiley said. "That has not changed."

Last weekDec. 7, Earlier this month, Mayor Duggan and other city officials kicked off a municipal ID program, which allows undocumented immigrants, and others, to get a Detroit ID. The lack of identification, like a driver's license, has been a challenge for many undocumented immigrants.

Detroit City Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López, who introduced the legislation to establish the new municipal ID, echoed Wiley's views, saying that Detroit "remains behind its commitment 150% that we are a welcoming city. We are committed to be diverse, global and inclusive."

At the same time, Detroit police can work with federal officials in criminal investigations, she said.

"Detroit is not a sanctuary city in terms of how Trump is defining it: w We don't withhold information from federal officials," Castañeda-López said. "However, we are a sanctuary city in that we won't profile people or ask their immigration status."

One concern that advocates say some undocumented immigrants have is that information they give to authorities for ID programs could be used later by federal officials to identify them for deportation.

'Know your rights'

Local advocacy groups and others have vowed to defend the rights of immigrants and have held , holding workshops in southwest Detroit in recent weeks educating them and offering assistance.

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center is organizing attorneys and volunteers to provide pro bono representation for immigrants placed in deportation proceedings.

"We’ll make sure that you have training to represent individuals in immigration courts and hopefully stave deportations for hopefully fewer people than we can imagine and to keep families together, to keep communities together," Ruby Robinson, supervising attorney with the center, told a crowd last month at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit.

At the gathering, the church's former pastor, the Rev. Ed Rowe, called for churches to be sanctuaries for immigrants who may face deportation.

The Mexican Consul in Detroit, Juan Manuel Solana Morales, is telling Michigan's 320,000 Mexican-American residents to stay calm, releasing a video in Spanish that says: "You are not alone. We are with you" and offering help and a warning them not to fall prey to immigration scams from unscrupulous people.

The efforts come amid an increase in hate incidents in Michigan, many of them targeting Latinos, according to state officials. In southwest Detroit, fliers from a white supremacist group have appeared in recent weeks with the headline "Help Enforce the Law and Make America Great Again!" They that tell the public to report illegal immigrants by calling the listed phone numbers of immigration agencies, reading below: "All of the above will be working for President Trump!"

"The fliers are intended to strike fear into immigrant communities," said Adam Thibodeau, an organizer with Congress of Communities in Southwest Detroit, which works with young residents. "The youth I work with are very disturbed, and tensions are high."

On a Saturday last month at Hope of Detroit Academy — where some students cried in fear the day after Trump was elected — Michigan United held a workshop to educate the public.

"Usted tiene derechos (You have rights)," community organizer Adonis Flores, 28, told the crowd.

On a wall behind him, Flores scrawled in Spanish on posters lists of sanctuary places where immigrants could turn to in case of raids by the federal agency ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement): churches, schools, universities, hospitals, some cities.

Another poster listed things to do: Know your rights, emergency plans, prepare important documents.

Like Martinez, Flores himself is the son of an undocumented immigrant and a DACA recipient worried about his future.

But he's mobilizing to help others, telling the immigrants: "I understand you're nervous."

Immigrant fears

One of the attendees was a 45-year-old mother of four who's an undocumented immigrant living in Detroit. She spoke to the Free Press through a translator, asking her name not be used. Robert OK'd unnamed source//Tato

She immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. in 1996, and moved moving to Detroit 15 years ago. Like many other undocumented immigrants, she found work locally in a variety of places: small factories, restaurants, hotels, cleaning offices, greenhouses or nurseries.

She has four children: a 23-year-old son born in Mexico who's a DACA recipient, 18-year-old daughter at Michigan State University, and two young boys, ages 7 and 4. seven, and four.

When she found out that Trump was elected, "I cried," she said. "Uncontrollably."

"It's very worrisome and sad," she added, wiping away tears. "All the hopes we had for the future, it's like the world coming down with all of this. ... A lot of immigrants feel this way."

Separated from her husband four years ago, she worries their family will be broken up and that her oldest son, who acts as a father figure for her younger children, could be forced to leave along with her if DACA ends.

"When the new administration comes, what's going to happen to DACA?" she asked. "We're in this period of uncertainty where we don't know what actions he's going to take. They have all of our children's information."

Diego Bonesatti, director of legal services at Michigan United, said he has he's been hearing similar stories since the election.

"They're all shocked that he won the election, so they're worried what he's going to do. Is there going to be storm troopers at the house? ... Some people are wanting to step up and get involved in the fight, and there's also some who are on the edge. They're not sure whether to stick around."

Advocates worry there will be a return to raids of schools, churches, and other places that happened a few years ago in Michigan. In 2011, agents with ICE raided parents dropping off children at Hope of Detroit academy, an action that its officials later said appeared to have been inconsistent with its policies of not targeting schools.

ICE could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday.

A spokesman for the ICE office in Detroit, Khaalid Walls said: “We will decline to speculate about the polices of the incoming administration. ICE currently focuses its enforcement efforts on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety or border security.”

Even those who are legal immigrants and U.S.-born citizens have expressed concerns over the years about being profiled and stopped by federal immigration agents. They fear the problem may get worse.

"People are worried about increased harassment, of racial harassment because of profiling," said Sally Kim, with United Hispanic Workers of Detroit. Earlier this month, the group held a packed information session for immigrants at El Nacimiento restaurant in Detroit.

For immigrants like Martinez, now is the time to stand up, saying it's important for diverse groups to stick togetherin coming months. In a room of his Detroit home hangs the multicolored flag representing the LGBT community, of which he is a part.

"I'm prepared to chain myself in front of a deportation bus to stop a deportation," Martinez said. "I'm prepared to do anything that isn't violent. ... I'm approaching 30-years-old, and I've been living in the shadows for too long."

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or 313-223-4792. Follow him on Twitter @nwarikoo