U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has rollback A decade-old policy bars immigration authorities from making arrests in sensitive locations such as schools, churches and hospitals.

As the impact of the move unfolded Wednesday, many people living in the United States without documents expressed concern about its impact on the few aspects of their lives where they feel safe.

“I don’t sleep,” Iris Gonzalez told The Associated Press in Boston, Massachusetts, where her children have been attending school for a decade.

Gonzalez, who came to the United States from Guatemala 14 years ago, wondered what would happen if she came into contact with immigration authorities while attending a court hearing or driving.

“What if they stop me?” she said.

She also questioned whether she should continue looking for work under the new administration. Still, she insisted that her children continue to go to school and she wanted them to be safe.

“Education is important,” she told the news agency in Spanish.

‘Destroying consequences’

Gonzalez’s story underscores the daily negotiations being fought by those seeking to avoid possible immigration enforcement under Trump, whose political comeback depends on Trump’s political comeback. Pledge of ‘mass deportations’ and restrict immigration into the United States.

On his first day in office, he issued a series of executive orders and actions related to immigration enforcement. They include declaring a national emergency at the U.S. border to increase staffing and resources there, laying the groundwork for expedited deportations, and suspending U.S. Customs and Border Protection Title I petitions, which thousands of asylum seekers rely on to make appointments.

Trump also sought to end the so-called birthright citizenshipone move That has been challenged in court by state officials and rights groups.

On Tuesday, the second day of Trump’s second term, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Announce It ended a policy of avoiding immigration raids at “sensitive” locations.

The shift primarily affects two agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), both of which have guidance prohibiting enforcement in places such as medical centers.

So far, no major immigration enforcement actions have been reported in the U.S. since Trump took office, but the incoming president told reporters on Monday it was only a matter of time.

“I don’t want to say when, but it will happen. It has to happen or we will no longer have a country,” he said.

Meanwhile, human rights groups have spent weeks since Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory holding trainings with community groups on how best to respond to the coming crackdown.

Many decried the Department of Homeland Security’s policy shift as setting a dangerous precedent, noting that the purpose of the “sensitive locations” policy was to ensure that those living in the country without documentation had access to basic services.

“This action could have devastating consequences for immigrant families and their children, including U.S. citizen children, preventing them from receiving medical care, seeking disaster relief, attending school, and engaging in daily activities,” said Olivia Go, the organization’s interim executive director. Olivia Golden said. the Center for Law and Social Policy said in a statement.

“If ICE’s presence near these locations becomes more prevalent, the likelihood that children will witness their parents being detained, arrested, or have other encounters with ICE agents will also increase,” Golden said.

“I can’t imagine why they would do this”

In a statement announcing the policy change, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that “criminal elements” are using sensitive locations to evade arrest, but did not provide data to support the claim.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid capture,” the statement said.

“The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and trust them to use common sense.”

In another sign that Trump is looking to roll back safeguards for the undocumented community, the Justice Department has also begun directing its federal prosecutors to investigate states or localities that stand in the way of stronger federal immigration enforcement, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. officials. The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

This move is obviously aimed at the so-called “refuge” jurisdiction, local officials directed law enforcement under their control not to coordinate with federal immigration agents.

The Justice Department memo also calls on federal prosecutors to resume the practice of charging defendants with the most serious provable crimes, thereby limiting prosecutors’ discretion in these cases.

Carmen, an immigrant from Mexico, expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s shift in “sensitive” locations.

“Oh, death!” she told The Associated Press. “I can’t imagine why they would do that.”

Still, Carmen said she believed the local Bay Area school system would notify her if it became unsafe to take her four- and six-year-old grandchildren to school.

“What calms me down is knowing that the school stands with us and has promised to notify us if the school is unsafe,” said Carmen, who asked that her last name not be used for fear of being targeted by immigration agents.