TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It’s been a busy week for immigration lawyer Mo Goldman after Donald Trump was elected to a second presidential term last week.
Trump has promised to lead a massive deportation effort across the country.
Goldman says a few dozen clients have already reached out to him since Trump’s win, everyone from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, to those in sponsorship programs, to people with green cards. They are allowed to stay in the U.S., but wonder if their status will change under Trump.
“It’s like this overarching fear of what’s to come,” Goldman told KGUN. “It’s a lot of questions and not many answers right now.”
While there are not many answers at this point, Goldman thinks Trump’s plan could be counter-productive if he removes legal immigration programs and pathways.
“If you’re going to be more enforcement-minded, you have to create better or even more liberal legal [immigration] avenues for people to legally process,” he said.
“The reality is, people are gonna want to come here. People see the United States as this shiny beacon, this place where they can come and achieve their dreams, their goals.
“And if you set up a system where it’s very difficult, if not impossible, for people to legally do it, how are they going to do it? It’s going to be a situation where they’re going to look for other means. And a lot of times, it’s not the legal way to do it. And I don’t endorse that, but that’s the reality.”
Goldman points to the economy as another reality. A 2022 Pew Research study shows unauthorized immigrants make up roughly 5 percent of the workforce in Arizona — and the country as a whole.
He fears taking away from that workforce would “decimate” industries like agriculture, construction and hospitality.
“A lot of individuals are going to be impacted by this,” he predicted. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of buyer’s remorse out there. I think a lot of [Trump voters] are going to regret that they chose this path. Because it will impact them. It will impact their families.”
For now, Goldman wants to educate immigrants on their rights and prepare for future legal challenges.