In the wake of the election of a man who’s promised to build a wall on the Mexico border and to track down and deport undocumented immigrants, local groups geared toward helping immigrants are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Attorney Michael T. Doyle, who oversees the Church of the City Immigration Advocacy & Support Center, is plotting how to go forward, but cautioning that cooperation will be more effective than fearmongering.

“I could express fears and uncertainties right now, but there aren’t a whole lot of tell-tale signs showing us where the wind will point and how strong it’s going to be,” Doyle said Wednesday. “We’re always hopeful that level heads prevail and that conversation and education on both sides can be maintained.”

Located in New London, the center provides low-cost immigration-related legal services and works to educate communities on immigration law. Its goal is to help immigrants become self-sufficient, contributing members of society.

As of 2013, almost 500,000 immigrants lived in Connecticut, about 130,000 of which were undocumented. Foreign-born Latinos alone paid $507 million in federal taxes and $317 million in state/local taxes that same year, and contributed $407 million to Social Security and $95 million to Medicare, according to the American Immigration Council.

But President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to “move criminal aliens out day one” and “immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties,” and has, among other things, called undocumented Mexican immigrants “rapists.”

“If you felt marginalized two days ago, then now you’re going to be more afraid,” Doyle said. 

Still, he said he wants the center to continue doing what it does best: focusing on the positive.

“We want to emphasize that we’re historically a nation of immigrants,” Doyle said. “Without immigrants, we really wouldn’t have this country.”

Doyle, who said recent years have evidenced how difficult it is to change immigration law completely, said he’s concerned first and foremost about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Widely known as DACA, it’s an executive order President Barack Obama signed in 2012 so undocumented immigrants who came to the country before 2007 and were 16 or younger would have temporary deportation relief.

Many who know little other than life in the United States have given all of their information, including addresses and thumbprints, to get renewable permission to work or attend school under DACA. These undocumented immigrants, however, still have no shot at becoming U.S. citizens.

DACA is one of the two executive orders Trump has vowed to end.

“I think that’s one of the largest fears, because that literally will affect millions of children in a heartbeat,” Doyle said.

'Love wins'

When 18-year-old Yenimar Cortes' mother left Mexico in search of a better life for her daughters, Cortes was 2.

"My mom basically left everything at home," Cortes said. "My grandpa died two years ago, but she didn't get to see him ever again."

Cortes, a freshman studying political science at Eastern Connecticut State University thanks in part to DACA, spends much of her time acting as a voice for undocumented immigrants — many of whom have lived, worked and paid taxes in this country for years, but have no path to citizenship — through CT Students for a Dream.

So when Trump was announced the victor of this year's presidential election, she was crestfallen about what it could mean for her family and millions of others like them.

One of Cortes' sisters — an undocumented immigrant who tutors kids as one of two jobs she has to pay for school — called her Wednesday. Her kids, she told Cortes, were inconsolable, concerned their parents were going to be deported.

"If people truly don't care, if they want nothing but to see us deported, I want them to think about how would they feel if their families were being separated," Cortes said.

In the days since the election, she's organized and participated in vigils, vowed to call on government leaders to issue statements that they won't allow hate in their states and cities, and re-intensified efforts to help people understand there is no legal "back of the line" that undocumented immigrants can get into to become citizens.

"If there was a right way, I'm pretty sure millions of undocumented immigrants would take it," Cortes said. "Being undocumented is not something we want to be. It comes with so many barriers, and living in fear every day. That's something a human being does not want."

She encouraged citizens to "be a voice" and denounce hate.

"The Trump presidency is built upon hate, so it will never work," Cortes said. "I know deep inside that, even if this hurts so much and it's heartbreaking, I know that America is filled with love, and I know that love wins."

'They do have rights'

Sister Mary Jude Lazarus, director of the Diocese of Norwich’s Office for Hispanic Ministry, said she's "disturbed" by Trump’s victory, but is rallying groups together to help advocate for immigrants’ rights in its wake.

Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, all people have rights that include the right to food, housing, medical care, social security, education, work and freedom of movement, religion and expression.

In addition, the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments — along with many human rights treaties the United States has ratified — provide due process and equal protection to “all persons.”

“From the rhetoric that we heard all during the campaign, (Trump) is out to really shut things down,” Lazarus said. “It seems contrary to the whole American spirit, and to the Christian spirit, as well.”

The bishops of the United States, she explained, long have advocated for comprehensive immigration reform.

In her role, Lazarus serves the Spanish-speaking population from Middletown through Norwich and down to New London. Sometimes that means providing them with church services, or helping them grow in their faith. Other times it means traveling to or sending a letter to various government committees on behalf of that population.

“It’s difficult to talk to people about faith, if you don’t look at their other needs as well,” she said. “If somebody’s hungry, you can’t say, ‘OK, let me tell you about Jesus.’”

On Wednesday, Lazarus said she’d been on the phone all morning, working with other civic and community groups to develop a plan to resist “anti-immigrant spirit” and educate people about the challenges immigrants face.

She said she’s already changed an upcoming meeting to sign people up for DACA to an information session instead in light of Tuesday’s election.

But as for what’s next, Lazarus said, “We’ve got to see how things unfold.”

“People have called me this morning and said, ‘I’m scared; what do I do now?’” Lazarus said, explaining that many of them have been here for 15 to 25 years and contribute to their civic and church communities.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do know the church is going to stand by them and for them and with them,” she said.

Moving forward

Doyle said he's encouraging immigrants to be cautious and asking people to come together to spread a positive message.

“I’m hoping that through education we can teach children ... it’s not good to hate people because of the way they look or speak,” he said.

As for dealing with the hate that’s “coming from more established places,” Doyle said he wants to reach out to and learn from those who were active in the Civil Rights Movement.

“Bigotry and racism is now coming to the fore,” Doyle said. “I think it’s always been there ... but now it’s almost, if not actually, celebrated in some circles."

“I don’t yet know how to deal with that," he said. "I’ve never been in an America like that.”

Alejandro Melendez-Cooper, founder of the New London-based Hispanic Alliance, called Trump's election a "wake-up call about how divided the country is," but said it's too early to jump to conclusions about what his presidency will look like.

"Some statements he's presented publicly about how to deal with immigrants ... I think we need to see that it actually goes that way," Melendez-Cooper said.

In the meantime, Melendez-Cooper, whose organization advances "Hispanic contributions to the southern Connecticut community," and who's been in Connecticut since he moved from Peru 27 years ago, is calling for people who are concerned to create forums to discuss what happened and how to move forward.

"We need to participate," he said. "When you play the game, you change the game."

Doyle offered a similar message.

“Be kind to one another,” Doyle said. “Support those organizations that support education and understanding, like us. And stay involved — don’t run away. We need everybody’s help and cooperation to make things better.”

l.boyle@theday.com