Community leaders host conversation about immigration policies

Brittany Sweeney, executive producer and television host of PBS 39 with LehighValleyNews.com, hosted a community conversation on Thursday to discuss immigration in the area. 

The conversation focused on what immigration looks like in the Lehigh Valley and how immigration and deportation has affected residents of this area. 

Audience members heard from Raymond Lahoud, an attorney of Lahoud Law Group; Erika Sutherland, a Spanish professor at Muhlenberg College; Mike Rennesisen, an attorney of Lehigh Immigration in Bethlehem; Jack Silva, Bethlehem Area School District superintendent; and Tracy Piazza, Easton Area School District superintendent. 

Sweeney opened up the conversation with a clarifying question for the speakers. 

“Is it legal to be here undocumented?” she asked. 

Rennesisen said the terms “legal” and “illegal” are often misused, as being an immigrant in the United States without lawful status does not make someone a criminal. 

He then explained that recent politics have “blurred the lines” of what it means to be in the U.S. without lawful status. 

“Millions of people are not criminals,” Rennesisen said. “They are not actively commiting crimes. So, I think that that is a very scary thing to hear from people in positions of power.” 

On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he issued an executive order titled, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” According to the American Immigration Council, this order “directed the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that aliens comply with their duty to register with the government under section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1302), and ensure that failure to comply is treated as a civil and criminal enforcement priority.”

Sutherland highlighted the fear that has been circulating in the Lehigh Valley community due to recent changes in immigration laws, including this executive order. 

In addition to being a professor, Sutherland is a representative of Grupo De Apoyo, which is Guatemala’s longest-running human rights organization. 

Sutherland agreed with Rennesisen’s point and said new laws have changed the “rules.” 

“Now everyone who is not a legal permanent resident, almost by default, is being called a criminal,” Sutherland said. 

She also said the vast majority of immigrants in the Lehigh Valley, whether they are documented or undocumented, came in on their own. Many of these residents have taken the steps to get a visa or renew their visa but are often discouraged because of how long it takes, Sutherland said.

Depending on factors such as the type of visa an individual is looking to obtain or the number of visa applications under review, the process can take several months or even years, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  

The long wait causes many residents to panic as they worry about being labeled a criminal, Sutherland said. 

Lahoud countered Sutherland and Rennesisen. He said he believes there is an agreement among immigration practitioners and judges that has remained the same, as they were defined before the new administration, and there has not been as much change in law as Sutherland and Rennesisen asserted. 

Sutherland interrupted him to say the public rhetoric does not match the agreement between practitioners and judges. 

“The public rhetoric is not the law, and that is the fact,” Lahoud said in response to Sutherland. 

Lahoud said the physical crossing of the border is a crime, but to prove that someone violated that, they would have to be seen by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is unlikely to happen. 

In response, Rennesisen said the consequences for violating a civil immigration law are severe. The punishment can include, but is not limited to, deportation, fines and imprisonment, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Rennesisen said these severe punishments stem from the idea that an immigrant “does not belong here,” and kicking them out is not harmful. 

He also criticized the development of immigration courts, saying the country has realized that people deserve protection and due process rights, but this development has not happened in the immigration world. 

A lack of judges has led to the backlogging of cases, meaning it may take years for these cases to move along, according to the American Immigration Council. 

An audience member asked, “What are critical changes that could be made right now to fix the problems in the immigration courts?” 

Lahoud responded by saying the only real change would come from comprehensive immigration reform. 

“Our members of congress actually have to do something and start working with members in office,” he said. 

Sweeney then addressed Sutherland, asking if she has seen the name “criminals” for undocumented people impact student life in her work as a college professor. 

Sutherland said there has been a distinct shift in campus life since the election in November 2024, and the shift worsened when Trump’s executive orders went into effect on the first day of his administration. 

“What had been nervousness turned into panic, and what had been small comments turned into outright bullying,” Sutherland said. 

She said she also saw an alarming shift in people choosing not to go shopping or to church in hopes of protecting their safety. 

“It is just so sad that in the most sacred place, a church, people are afraid to go,” she said.

Lahoud said people without criminal records acting this way is an overreaction, which stems from public rhetoric. 

Sutherland countered Lahoud and said the arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement which have been made are largely people without criminal records. According to data obtained by NBC News, as of Feb. 19, 41% of the newly detained individuals by ICE do not have a criminal record. 

An audience member then asked, “Who can I contact, and how can I support a very anxious immigrant community right now?”

Sutherland said the best procedure to take is to get informed and stay calm to encourage people not to freak out and be educated on their rights.

Under Trump’s new executive orders, ICE can now enter previously protected places, including schools. 

To hear more about how local schools are handling this, Silva and Piazza provided insight. 

An audience member asked them a question about whether the school districts corroborate with law enforcement activity in regards to immigrant status. 

In response, Silva said the Bethlehem Area School District does not ask students anything about their immigration status, and if a student resides within the district, they are welcome to attend the school as any other student. He said the district takes a “blind view” toward immigration status. 

Silva also said unless someone comes in with a signed warrant from a judge, they do not provide law enforcement with anything or anyone. He clarified that ICE doesn’t have jurisdiction in Bethlehem schools, and only a warrant signed by a judge would permit law enforcement to do anything. 

A question was then raised about if undocumented students have a legal right to an education. 

Silva responded by saying he believes so, but he reiterated that it doesn’t matter because the Bethlehem Area School District doesn’t ask about students’ legal status. 

“As a resident of the community, we are responsible for educating all our residents, and that would include those students,” he said. 

Piazza clarified they have not seen any ICE officials coming into schools in her district. However, she said, that’s not to say it won’t happen in the future.