More Illegal Immigrants Putting Affairs in Order: Deportation Risk Prompts Preparation

Washington Post

By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 15, 2008; B01

A 30-year-old single mother from Manassas recently visited a notary public to formally arrange custody for her toddler son after she’s gone.

It’s deportation, not death, that has her worried.

With federal authorities stepping up raids and local police joining enforcement efforts, illegal immigrants and their advocates say that preparing for possible deportation is becoming a common feature of life in their underground world.

They are designating who should take custody of their children, indicating what should be done with cars and homes, ensuring that relatives have power of attorney to access bank accounts and key documents, and memorizing phone numbers they might need to call from jail. Some are sending their U.S.-born children for visits to their home countries so they could adapt more easily if the family is suddenly forced to move back.

HERE