Pastor Leah Matthews organizes weekly aid distribution events and is pleased that so many people have joined this time. "Today was our first event since Trump came back to power. We didn't know at all if people would come or if they were too scared," she told ARD.
The aim of the events, which are taking place in two churches on New York's Upper East Side, is to provide the necessary supplies for illegal immigrants. One of them is Manuel from Nicaragua, who has been living in New York with his family without documents for two months. "They give us clothes and sometimes shoes. "We still don't have a job," he told the German public-law media outlet.
This week, 124 families have come - much more than usual. They are all worried because they have heard about the police crackdown on illegal immigrants. "We are very worried about what is happening under the Trump administration, and we are afraid. We don't know what will happen. We pray to God that everything will be fine and that good immigrants in the country will be given jobs," says Manuel.
City of Refuge
Many of the families also have legal issues - which is why lawyers are also involved in the pastor's actions. They explain to families like Manuel's what their rights are and give them very specific advice.
"For example, parents whose children go to public schools have to fill out forms with information about who has the right to pick up their child from school," explains Matthews. "We tell parents - list other family members or friends. It is best if they are American citizens - so that they can pick up the children in case of an incident."
By incident, the pastor means the sudden arrest of one of the parents. Although this is considered unthinkable in a city like New York, which is a "sanctuary city". Nearly 500,000 illegal immigrants live in the metropolis, and they are given protection.
"They don't dare to leave"
Since Trump came back to power, however, immigration officials have been increasingly brutal. As part of their crackdown on criminals, they arrest all immigrants they come across, ARD reports.
Trump's newly appointed border protection chief Tom Homan defended this approach to CNN: "When we find a criminal, he is usually with other immigrants. And even though they haven't committed any crimes, they are in the country illegally and are also arrested. We enforce immigration laws."
Many of the illegal immigrants who live in New York have been trying to obtain a residence permit for years. Hector Arginsones from Venezuela fought for almost ten years to be recognized as a refugee. Now he shares his experience with others and regularly helps Pastor Matthews in the church's campaigns.
Arginsones told ARD that migrants have never been as anxious as they are now. "This is the first time I've seen people so scared that they don't dare go out to take their children to school or go shopping at the supermarket."
Meanwhile, it has become clear that the Trump administration wants to end the temporary status of nearly 300,000 Venezuelans in the United States.
Awaiting new moves by the authorities
Matthews and her team are doing everything they can to ensure that at least their church remains a safe place for migrants. But they too have concerns.
Last week, Trump ordered his officials to detain undocumented migrants even when they are in churches and schools - actions that were banned more than a decade ago, the German public-law media outlet reports.
How would Matthews react if officials showed up at her church? Not a minute goes by that I don't think about it, she says. The pastor has saved the numbers of several lawyers in her phone that she can urgently contact. She wants to be prepared for such a scenario. "It's difficult", says Matthews. The aim is to prepare for any legal action, but the legal framework itself is currently changing.
Author: Gisele Ukar ARD