Coming to the aid of a migrant was by no means an uncommon event for Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien.
Three months ago, Bastien had to assist a Haitian migrant to return to the U.S. after he had been illegally deported to Haiti. The man came under former President Joe Biden’s two-year visa program and was put on a plane with other deportees, Bastien said.
Bastien, whose District 2 encompasses a portion of Little Haiti, previously worked on reinstating two lawful Haitian migrants a few years ago. She also serves as executive director of the Family Action Network Movement (FANM), which includes assisting immigrants.
As the Trump administration continues to conduct immigration raids nationwide, Bastien is now advising all immigrants to carry their documents to show their legal status. She’s also urging people who’ve lost their green card to visit FANM for help to get a free replacement.
“[ICE] deported U.S. citizens to Haiti in the past, and we’ve had to go and get them back here,” Bastien said. “We don’t want that to happen. That’s why we’re asking people if you have the little card, or if you have a copy of the first page of your passport, carry it.”
In another case of mistaken deportation, attorney Lana Joseph told WPLG Local 10 last year her client Emita Obtenu was wrongfully sent back to Haiti. Obtenu had been granted permission to travel through the Humanitarian Parole Program. “This was a miscarriage of justice,” Joseph said.
Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, plagued by political unrest and natural disasters. The Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) last June.
President Donald Trump on Jan. 29 ended the TPS extension for Venezuelans. The future of TPS for Haitians and other nationalities is unclear.
READ MORE: Trump orders end of humanitarian parole for migrants of 4 countries
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to respond to the Key Biscayne Independent’s media requests.
Bastien wants to remind migrants of their rights, which include not answering the door without a judge-signed warrant.
“I’ve been organizing in this community for the past 43 years, and I’ve never seen such a level of fear, anxiety and despair in our immigrant communities,” Bastien said.
ICE agents detained several migrants per a photo shared on X Jan. 26 by the Miami Bureau of the Homeland Security Investigation Field Office.
Trump directed ICE to increase their daily arrests from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500 because “he has been disappointed with results of his mass deportation so far.”
Bastien said because FANM is unable to defend everyone who may require legal representation, the nonprofit intends to launch a fundraising campaign to help those who cannot afford to pay attorneys.
Cindy Woods, national policy counsel for the Miami-based American for Immigrant Justice (AIJ), said that there are fewer attorneys available to represent immigrants across the nation.
“There’s generally a lack of representation in immigration proceedings,” she said. AIJ is growing its staff to address the need.
AIJ hosts clinics to teach immigrants how to act when they are stopped by ICE authorities.
During a briefing on Jan. 28., White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to all foreign nationals who came into the country without the required paperwork as “criminals.”
Bastien wants clarification from the officials on the specific individuals being arrested, saying that the Trump administration is disseminating false information about apprehending criminals while it is evident it is the contrary.
“We’re pushing back about the Trump Administration, claiming that they are arresting criminals because — for the most part, most immigrants here in the U.S., and this is supported by data — are not criminals,” Bastien.
This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN News partner.