Raleigh, Jan. 30, 2025.- El Pueblo, a local Latine immigrant rights organization, today announced the release of a Spanish-language emergency guide, Familias Seguras. Guia de emergencia para inmigrantes (Safe Families. An Emergency Guide for Immigrants), to inform Latine immigrant families about their rights and how to prepare for possible detention or deportation in response to the fear generated by immigration operations ordered by President Donald Trump. 

“Our emergency guide is a crucial tool to protect immigrant families across the state,” stated El Pueblo Executive Director, Iliana Santillan, “This guide is a roadmap to power, a tool that can change lives, and a labor of love and compassion in response to rampant anti-immigrant rhetoric. This guide is more than just information; it is a shield, a source of protection, and a statement that we will not be silenced. We encourage partners and community leaders to share and ensure this guide reaches those who need it the most.” 

This emergency guide has been edited and designed to be easily understood and is based on legal content provided by specialized agencies such as the North Carolina Justice Center (NCJC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina.  

“El Pueblo’s goal was to take the robust and comprehensive legal content available in English, translate it into Spanish, and edit it in a simple, culturally appropriate language for the Latine community, and with an attractive design, building on the success of our Spanish-language voter guides we created last year,” said Eloy Tupayachi, El Pueblo’s Content Strategy Manager and editor of the guide. 

“We’re grateful to have been part of the collaborative process of creating this guide in response to requests from immigrant communities across North Carolina calling for accurate and accessible information to protect ourselves and each other in these trying times. We can be stronger and more united when we are well informed,” said Jasmina Nogo, Staff attorney of the NC Justice Center’s Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. 

“The ACLU of North Carolina is proud to have supported the development of this crucial guide alongside El Pueblo. Immigrant communities deserve to feel safe and this guide provides essential guidance to help them understand and exercise their civil rights. We stand in solidarity with immigrant communities across North Carolina and beyond and remain committed to fighting for the rights of all individuals, regardless of their immigration status.”, said Sammy Salkin, Policy Analyst at ACLU-NC. 

The guide contains information on what to do and say during an interaction with police or immigration agents on the streets, highways and in homes; as well as tips on how to prepare for the deportation of a family member and preserve the well-being of children and pets, as well as household assets and finances.  

With this emergency guide for immigrants in Spanish, El Pueblo wants to provide the Latine community with an informational tool to combat the fear, uncertainty, and misinformation generated by ICE operations ordered by the Trump administration.  

The material will be available for now on El Pueblo’s website (elpueblo.org), but the organization plans to print physical copies for distribution to the community in the coming weeks.