Community advocate Paulina Pedroza records the immigration panel Thursday, capturing key moments as local law enforcement addresses concerns from the community. (Katecey Harrell/ Tyler Morning Telegraph)

In an effort to lessen fear in the community, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith invited sheriffs from neighboring counties to join him in a panel Thursday to discuss immigration policies.

“I want to dispel some of the rumors, let you know some of the things we’re required to do, some of the things that have to be done and the reason they have to be done that way,” Smith said as he addressed the crowd of East Texans gathered at El Norteño Mexican Restaurant.

The panel comes as President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on immigration throughout the country.

Smith aimed for the event to clarify concerns and provide information on how local county law enforcement will respond to undocumented individuals in East Texas.

Attendees’ reactions were mixed. While some attendees left seeking further clarity, others welcomed Smith’s efforts to dispel fears they say were amplified by social media.

Smith sat alongside sheriffs from Wood, Upshur, Rusk, Morris, Hopkins and Franklin counties, as well as the executive director of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas. Immigration lawyers in the crowd, including Jose Sanchez of Longview and Ginger Young of Tyler, stepped in to clarify legal jargon as tensions rose and fell throughout the event’s duration.

Smith recently returned from Washington D.C., where he attended the Midwinter National Sheriff’s Conference and met with Border Czar Tom Homan. It was there, along with hearing from Hispanic deputies in his office, he became aware of the rumors spreading across the country, making the need for clarity all the more evident.

One attendee said not having a driver’s license or insurance doesn’t make someone a criminal. He shared the fear within their community, especially among children.

“That’s exactly what I’m here for, is to try to keep you from being scared, and try to explain,” Smith said. “They’re our people too…”

There’s a lot of confusion about how federal, local and state governments work together, and the panelists aimed to clarify how it all comes together in their respective counties to help reduce fear.

Tyler resident Josue Amateco, 22, came to the panel to be better informed. He expressed concerns about undocumented family members being asked for ID at traffic stops.

“They’re sometimes scared to go to the store, scared that ICE might pick them up. They’re scared, like what would happen during a traffic stop,” Amateco said.

Smith said Homan assured sheriffs ICE is focusing on deporting approximately 600,000 undocumented individuals from over 100 countries, not just Mexico. These individuals failed to report after being released on personal recognizance bonds.

Many have violated local, state or federal laws. Additionally, ICE is working to locate about 300,000 children who were released but whose current locations are unknown, Smith said.

Homan also confirmed ICE is not targeting certain places, such as churches, hospitals or schools, for deportation actions, unless individuals at those locations have been accused of serious crimes or are harboring someone who has, according to Smith.

Area sheriffs in attendance, including Upshur County Sheriff Larry Webb and Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez, echoed sentiments that the basic takeaway for attendees should be to simply follow the law. Anyone who is obeying the law should feel safe going to work, school, the grocery store and otherwise living their daily lives as normal, they said.

Smith reiterated the focus will remain on individuals who pose a serious threat to public safety.

He also explained that for undocumented immigrants in Smith County, the threshold he has set for ICE involvement is a driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense or higher. If someone, especially young people, is stopped for a traffic violation like driving without a license, it’s not an immediate jail situation, Smith said. Instead, they’d typically receive a citation. If someone is booked into jail, they will have a bond of a couple hundred dollars and bond out quickly, he added.

However, if the person attempts to flee, it’s considered a felony, and that’s when ICE would get involved. Smith said it is important to understand this, particularly for parents to help their children feel safe going to work, school or church without fear of deportation.

Smith County was one of the first 14 to join the ICE jail enforcement model. Smith made it clear, “I’m the one that set the bar.” In Smith County, if someone is stopped for a traffic ticket or anything less than a Class B misdemeanor, “there’s nothing to worry about — unless they run,” Smith said, referring to fleeing in a vehicle.

Lifelong Tyler resident Emily Pinal has served as a community organizer in East Texas for 10 years. However, she said she has not seen fear like this in the community in the last decade.

Pinal attended the immigration panel hoping to hear reassurances from local law enforcement about their commitment to safeguarding the community. However, she left feeling unsatisfied with the response.

She was concerned the sheriffs could not guarantee their deputies aren’t racially profiling people and felt the explanations offered about the procedures and internal communication within the sheriff’s departments were insufficient to assure the panel’s stated goals.

“It doesn’t bring me any reassurance, but I see what they’re trying to do here,” Pinal said.

Smith also outlined the county’s 287(g) jail enforcement model program.

Jail enforcement model officers can check the immigration status of individuals who have already been arrested and booked into jail. Another type of 287(g) program, the warrant service officer model, allows trained officers to search for people named in ICE warrants, even if they have not yet been arrested or processed for a criminal charge.

That said, the 287(g) task force model will soon be implemented, allowing sheriff’s offices and other agencies to be cross-designated and deputized by the federal government to participate in ICE operations.

Smith County Sheriff’s Office will participate in this new program, Smith said. Anyone arrested for a serious crime, whether a U.S. citizen or undocumented, will be taken into custody.

Pinal encourages people to know their rights, reach out to nonprofits and lawyers to get accurate information and keep an eye out on what local law enforcement says.

People who are not directly involved in criminal activity but are associated with undocumented individuals may also be checked for their immigration status. This is what is referred to as “collateral” arrests, where those found to be undocumented could be taken into custody by ICE.

Smith advised people living with or associated with known criminal violators to consider separating from them or asking them to surrender to law enforcement to avoid being caught up in the enforcement actions.

However, he made it clear that anyone — whether a U.S. citizen or an undocumented immigrant — who commits a serious crime, particularly a violent one, will be taken into custody.

Daniel Nagore, who moderated and translated the panel, decided to help organize the event after talking to Smith about the fear many people in the Hispanic community felt. Due to the positive response Nagore received regarding the panel, they hope to do more in the future.

“This was our first, one learning experience, so we are still working on it, and we’re gonna [perfect] it and do it even better,” Nagore said.

The event was live-streamed and much of the panelists’ comments were translated to Spanish in real-time.

Guillermo Garnica, owner of El Norteño Mexican Restaurant and Garnica Event Center, hopes the panel helped reduce people’s fears. He wants people to be informed and not rely on rumors from social media.

“I want the (community) to be bigger and more united, and to not only get together for weddings, quinceañeras, but also for the good times and the bad times,” Garnica said. “That’s what I would like to see. Hopefully we achieve it. The only thing I want is for all of us to do well because we all deserve the American dream.”

The panelists said Tyler Police Department plans to host a similar panel to discuss how the city will handle immigration concerns. A date will be published once it has been released.