Preparando Su Familia Para Encuentros Con Inmigracion*

This is the sign posted outside the Catholic church across from my office:

In order to prepare your family for an encounter with immigration, you should have an emergency plan in place. Among other things, you should:

1. Complete a power of attorney for a legal guardian so your children won't be placed in foster care if you're detained or deported.**
2. Make copies of your important documents and give them to a friend or family member for safekeeping in case of same.
3. If you are interrogated during an ICE raid, ask the officer if you are under arrest. If they say no, slowly and calmly walk away. Walking quickly creates the appearance of fear, which activates the murder center in the officer's brain. (I added that last part. The "slowly and calmly" thing is real, though.)

Given the "family op"*** scheduled for this weekend, I hope my clients are avid churchgoers.****

In keeping with #NotNormal, I would like to point out that it's really extraordinary to have a giant sign telling regular people how to prepare to have their lives ruined by the government for no reason. Out of morbid curiosity, I googled "preparing your family for a natural disaster" to see how similar the advice would be. Not only is it similar, as one would expect...

...but check out this mind-boggling lack of self-awareness on the part of DHS:

Cool.

 Have a good weekend, y'all. If you happen to be undocumented, I recommend that you find yourself a nice cozy attic to hide out in until Monday. And after Monday. And until 2021 (please, God, not 2025).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*"Preparing Your Family for Encounters with Immigration"
**In California, this functions more as a suggestion. The court makes the final decision about who gets your kid. If your friend or family member is also undocumented, you may be SOL.
 ***Could there BE a more sickening euphemism for a raid specifically targeting families? Is this more or less disgusting than referring to toddlers in cages as "tender age" detainees?
****Until they start raiding churches, anyway. Per a 2011 ICE memo, churches are considered sensitive locations with respect to "enforcement actions" (ha), but it's anyone's guess how much longer this policy will stand (or whether it will continue to be respected even if it technically still applies).