LEXINGTON, Ky. — As President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration have ramped-up rhetoric about possible plans for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, calls to Central Kentucky immigration lawyers have soared, multiple lawyers said this week.

Immigration lawyers and groups working with Lexington’s international community said they are trying to dispel myths and misinformation even as they acknowledge so many unknowns about Trump’s plans remain. At the same time, many are urging people to seek immigration assistance if they have questions or concerns.

Trump said Monday he plans to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to assist the government with a mass deportation.

Heather Hadi, a Lexington-based immigration lawyer, said since Trump’s election earlier this month, calls to her office have increased as much as 60%.

“We are trying to get in as many people as we can,” Hadi said. “Some of it is just educating them.”

Shannon Church Egan of the Lexington-based Church Law Group, which also specializes in immigration law, said she has seen about a 15% to 20% up in calls since Trump was elected. However, Church Egan noted there were more calls after Trump was first elected in 2016.

The questions from some in Central Kentucky’s foreign-born population are myriad and sometimes gut-wrenching, she said.

“For those who have U.S. citizen children, many clients wish to discuss their options for legally designating and appointing a caretaker or guardian for their minor children in the event they are deported,” she said.

”Others wish to consult regarding what defenses might be available to them in deportation proceedings; whether they still will have the right to raise a defense in proceedings in the first place.”

Others also are concerned if the Trump administration will revoke their current temporary legal right to be in the United States.

“Another repeated concern is for those who currently hold “Temporary Protected Status” (commonly known as TPS) from countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Ukraine, among others, wishing to know the likelihood that the TPS program for their country will be renewed or whether the program will be terminated entirely,” said Church Egan.

Charles Bates, program director of the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic, one of Lexington’s oldest immigration legal clinics, said the clinic also has heard from many who are concerned programs started under President Joe Biden’s administration may sunset once Trump takes office.

Bates said some people who are eligible for various immigration programs that would put them on the path to becoming a permanent legal resident or a U.S. citizen have opted not to pursue those paths out of fear the Trump administration would use that information to deport them come January.

“It’s already had a chilling effect,” Bates said.

There are many unknowns right now, immigration lawyers said. Much of what the Trump administration has said it may do could face challenging legal obstacles.

“He has said a lot of things that aren’t legally feasible,” Hadi said.

Mizari Suarez is the executive director of the Neighbors Immigration Clinic, a Lexington nonprofit that focuses on immigration law, advocacy and connecting immigrants with resources.

She said many efforts by Trump to tamp down on immigrants during his first administration were stopped by the courts. The small clinic served more than 500 people last year, more than 50% were children.

“We are trying to lead with faith and hope,” Suarez said.

The nonprofit has seen about a 15% to 20% increase in calls since Nov. 5. “People were worried before, but they are even more worried,” she said.

The nonprofit’s services are always in high demand, she added.

“We are booked until February 2025,” Suarez said. “We are trying to get as many people in as we can.”

Suarez and other immigration lawyers are encouraging those who have questions to see an immigration attorney.

“We are focusing on mixed-status immigration families,” Suarez said.

Those are families where one person may be a U.S. citizen but other members are not. That’s common. Most immigrants come here to reunite with a family member or come to Central Kentucky for work, she said.

Suarez also cautioned that since there are so few immigration attorneys in Kentucky, some dodgy operators are taking advantage of immigrants by offering notary-type services for documents that aren’t legal or won’t stand up in court. That’s happened to many people in Fayette County’s Haitian immigrant community, she said.

Church Egan said she is also trying not to lead with fear but is urging people to get reliable information and to know their rights.

“I am telling those with concerns about mass deportation under Trump to not treat the issue as rhetoric alone,” said Church Egan.

“We are trying to ensure that all individuals fearful of deportation are educated about the steps involved in the deportation process, what tools are available for locating someone in ICE detention, and what rights and protections are constitutionally afforded to them - at least for the present moment - should they be approached by ICE or another enforcement agency tasked with deportation.”

Will Lexington government help with deportations?

There are also unknowns for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

The city of Lexington only works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, if it is asked to by the federal government, said Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for the city.

Hadi and others working in immigration law said it’s rare for the Lexington Police Department to voluntarily turn someone over to ICE.

That’s not true in some of the rural counties in Kentucky, Hadi said.

But city officials said they don’t know whether Trump will try to tap local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.

“The city will continue to work with federal authorities when requested,” Straub said.

Global Lex, the city’s international center on Versailles Road, has also seen a slight uptick in calls from the city’s foreign-born population.

‘Generally people are asking how we are preparing. We have not changed our current operation. We don’ t know what changes are coming from the federal level,” Straub said.

How many could face deportation?

Lexington’s foreign-born population is both diverse and growing. It’s not known how many people are not documented or have no legal right to live in the United States.

Approximately 17% of Fayette County’s population speaks a language other than English at home, according to U.S. Census data.

Approximately 11% are foreign born, according to census data.

Of that foreign-born population, approximately 45% are naturalized U.S. citizens; 55% are not. However, those that are not naturalized citizens could have other legal documentation to be in the country such as a refugees, asylum seekers and those on work or student visas.

Fayette County Public School data puts the estimate of the city’s foreign-born population higher — at 23%. That number is based on the number of English language learners enrolled in Fayette County schools in the 2022-2023 school year, the most complete data available.

In February 2023, Fayette County Public Schools had 96 languages represented in the English learning programs.

The top 10 foreign languages spoken in Lexington schools are Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Nepali, French, Mandarin, Japanese, Kinyarwanda, Korean and Portuguese in descending order, according to school data.

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