FIGHTING DONALD'S REVERSE KINDER TRANSPORT:

Since Donald Trump became president, immigration arrests have quadrupled, placing hundreds of thousands of immigrants at risk of deportation and separating tens of thousands of children from their parents. On an average day, there are 44,000 immigrants being held in federal custody, which Vox reports is an all-time high up from the pre-Trump record of 34,000.

As of November, 14,000 immigrant kids were in government custody without their parents -- another record high. To keep more of these kids from falling into federal care or foster care, lawmakers in two states have expanded emergency guardianship laws. And despite the divisive nature of immigration policy, the legislation has attracted bipartisan support.

"Right now, there are so many unknowns for Dreamers, DACA recipients, people with TPS," says Carlo Sanchez, a son of El Salvadoran immigrants who co-sponsored the bill in Maryland. "We have a responsibility to talk about what happens when those people go away."

The legislation allows immigrants who fear they are at risk of deportation to assign a "standby guardian" for their children or dependents. If a parent is deported or arrested, their children can legally stay with that person. [...]

Sanchez says the potential Temporary Protected Status (TPS) rollbacks deepened deportation fears in his community of Prince George's County, which has a sizable El Salvadoran population. Depending on the outcome of a lawsuit, the Trump administration could end TPS for immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan. TPS provides legal protections for immigrants from countries and regions suffering from political violence or natural disaster. More than a quarter of a million U.S. citizen children -- 273,000 -- have a parent whose TPS standing could be revoked in the next year.

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