The city of Houston sought to reassure illegal immigrants they can seek assistance at shelters in the area, taking to Twitter to refute a rumor that those in the country illegally will be made to present immigration papers or disclose their immigration status.
“We will not ask for immigration status or papers from anyone at the shelter. This rumor is FALSE!” the city Monday night said on its Twitter account.
No vamos a pedir documentos ni estatus migratorio en ningun albergue este rumor es FALSO!
— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) August 29, 2017
We will not ask for immigration status or papers from anyone at any shelter. This rumor is FALSE!
— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) August 29, 2017
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, also said illegal immigrants shouldn’t be afraid to seek help at area shelters and promised to defend anyone who faces deportation.
“There is no reason why anyone should not call, and I and others will be the first ones to stand up with you,” Sylvester, a lawyer, told reporters Monday, according to ABC News. “If someone comes and they require help and then for some reason [someone] tries to deport them, I will represent them myself.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reiterated that neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement nor Customs and Border Protection are conducting immigration enforcement at shelters or food banks. In an information page dedicated to Hurricane Harvey, and under a section titled “Rumor Control,” the agency said those in need to assistance should go to their local shelters, regardless of immigration status.
“Routine non-criminal immigration enforcement operations will not be conducted at evacuation sites, or assistance centers such as shelters or food banks,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection said in a joint statement released Aug. 25.
Thousands have been displaced in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall over the weekend and has caused devastating flooding in parts of Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston.
The storm has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
FEMA Administrator Brock Long said Monday he expects roughly 30,000 people to seek assistance at temporary shelters.
