Undocumented People Are Planning Who Will Take Over Their Leases and Custody of Their Kids if They're Deported

With ICE raids on the rise across the U.S., people are banding together to craft crisis plans in case the worst happens.

Photos by Cora Cervantes

“Our house is bright orange, you can’t miss it,” says 69-year-old Juan Mejia as he paces up and down his driveway in Los Angeles County, wearing a salmon-colored polo shirt with khakis. He’s on the phone, giving directions to friends who will be joining him and his wife Carolina for a small, informal gathering to talk about the anti-immigrant climate in the United States – and what they can do to prepare for a worst-case scenario. Carolina adjusts her glasses under her short, curly black hair, and brushes her apron as she walks around the backyard making sure there are enough chairs for everyone.

An estimated eleven million undocumented immigrants live in the United States. Many live in mixed-status homes, meaning one or more of their family members is a citizen, or to some degree lawfully present in the United States. As the political climate has shifted since the presidential election, many of these families are making arrangements to transfer ownership of the…