PERRIS, Calif. – Sandra is in the land of the free, but she doesn’t always feel that way. The 30-year-old woman is an undocumented immigrant parent to children who were born in the United States.

At any moment, Sandra could be deported.

“At times, I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say to my kids. I want to offer them the comfort and tell them that we are going to be okay, but at times, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Sandra, a Perris resident.

Sandra asked that we not show her face and disclose her full name. She says her family fled Mexico when she was 3-years-old. Her father had trouble finding a job in their small town that would pay enough to take care of their family. On top of that, Sandra says her sister was born with cerebral palsy and needed better medical care.

As a young child Sandra did not make the decision to come to America, but did have the opportunity to receive some protection through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA is a policy that temporarily removes the threat of deportation for undocumented immigrants who arrive as children. However, she did not take it.

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“For myself still having that fear of what if. What if you just sign yourself up just to get deported,” said Sandra.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 4.1 million U.S. citizen children are living with at least one undocumented parent and that number is growing every day.

With President Donald Trump's administration threatening to deport people through mass raids, immigrant community advocates at TODEC Legal Center in Perris are encouraging parents to know their rights and to have a plan in case they are separated.

“We are living their fears with them. We are continuing to see families being separated. We continue to see children crying because they don’t have their parents," said Luz Gallegos, Community Programs Director.

At no cost, the center and its advocates help families fill out legal documents detailing who they will choose to become their child’s new legal guardian, a school emergency plan, and even health insurance.

“What happens when there is not a family plan in place. The school just can’t turn over their kids because they’re liable for the safety of their students. They have to turn them over to department of social services which in turn they go into foster families," said Gallegos.

Sandra’s husband became a U.S. citizen this year, but he works two hours away from their home in Perris. So Sandra created a family plan with the legal center in case her husband can’t make it home in time. Sandra wanted a back-up plan for her children in ICE detains her from the ones she loves most and the country she considers her home.

For more information on family care plans and TODEC, visit the website here.