Presidential Election Sends Immigrants Scrambling for Power-of-attorney Protection

Ruben Blas gripped a thin stack of papers on a recent Saturday morning as he anxiously waited in line with about 20 other people outside Jubilee Park Community Center.Blas and others were waiting to speak with a lawyer inside the center to get help writing power-of -attorney and guardianship letters. Blas, an unauthorized immigrant living in Irving, said the letters would designate his sister-in-law as the legal guardian of his U.S.-born 2-year-old son in case he's deported to Mexico."I tried to get double citizenship for my son, but I haven't been able to get an appointment with the Mexican Consulate," Blas said in Spanish. "This way we are prepared in case something happens." The lawyers providing information inside were part of a power-of-attorney session organized by the University of North Texas College of Law. Angela Downes, a law professor at the university, said the school recognized a need for the workshop after noticing an increase in calls with immigration-related questions after the 2016 presidential election. Many of the callers wanted to know what would happen to their U.S.-born children if they were deported, Downes said. "We are receiving calls every day," she said. "That's what's worrying people the most: 'How am I going to help my children?'''  Continue reading...