Alysia Treviño’s passion for supporting immigrant rights started with her own family: she’s a third generation immigrant herself.
“My family came at a time when workers were needed for farming and everything like that,” she said. “As a Mexican-American woman, this issue is important to me. Our (immigration) system, it’s so broken, and I see people every day who are struggling. We have a sizable immigrant population (in the Flint area) and I see the struggles that they are experiencing, that’s why this work is close to my heart.”
Treviño, who grew up in Flint, is a coalition member of the Flint Alliance for Immigrant Rights (FAIR). The FAIR coalition was formed earlier this year in response to Trump Administration immigration policies that have been carried out haphazardly and resulted in circumventing immigration courts and hearings and skipping other due process elements, mistakenly detaining citizens, and inhumane conditions within rapidly crowding detainment facilities, among other humanitarian issues.
FAIR was established out of community meetings and dialogues around how to protect and support the Flint area’s immigrant community. Treviño and others who attended those early meetings formed FAIR to make actions they were taking sustainable and replicable, no matter what political party is in power in government. The coalition includes activist organizations like Indivisible GLOW, and individuals who work in wide roles across the community, including for churches, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, lawyers, and others who are passionate about protecting immigrant rights.
“I got involved (in FAIR) just because I’ve been involved with other local organizations in the Flint community,” Treviño said. “In February (of 2025), a meeting was put together to just talk about everything that was going on, and the fear of the administration from immigrants who were concerned about their status, losing their status, being deported. And after a couple of meetings, the group decided to become a coalition to not only meet this moment, but to not let up when administrations change. That’s one of our long-term goals.”
The strength of that coalition was on display recently, when FAIR helped organize opposition to a 287(g) task force agreement between a local police department, the Metro Police Authority of Genesee County (which serves Swartz Creek and Mundy Township areas), and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agreement, which came in July, allowed officers to enforce ICE warrants, which are administrative and not necessarily criminal, and detain people.
The agreement, which was the only one of its kind any Genesee County law enforcement agency had signed, was immediately controversial. And FAIR helped organize and mobilize residents who attended public Metro Police Authority meetings, submitted public comments, and consistently protested the agreement. It was eventually rescinded, with the police department citing workload issues as the reason. But FAIR believes the clear and consistent backlash from the public played a critical role in the decision.
“The community rejects policies like the 287(g) agreement,” Treviño said. “They showed up again and again to show that. They were giving public comments at the Metro Police Authority Board meetings. They were sending emails, so much so that it was their protocol to read them out loud at each meeting, but they ended up having to just print them out and hand them out to people because they didn’t have time to read all of them. They (residents) didn’t let this issue fade away.”
FAIR is organized so that members can respond rapidly to unexpected circumstances like the 287(g) agreement when needed, but also so that they can provide information and education over time. The group’s mission is to unite organizations, advocates, and community members in support of immigrant justice in a variety of ways, including education, advocacy, and community support. Their objectives include building a large network that includes a range of expertise and institutions represented, provide community education, center immigrant voices to make sure their needs are being met, advocate and lobby for policy changes, and, simply, to help provide hope.
They’re always looking for more people to get involved with the group. They regularly share events and updates on their Facebook and Instagram pages, and they’ve compiled a list of links to other resources and volunteer forms with information. There are also subcommittees focused on various aspects of their work that people can volunteer for, they have ‘Know Your Rights’ materials available that they can drop off at organizations who would like to have them, and welcome involvement from anyone passionate about the cause.
“The only thing you have to do to be involved is care about your immigrant neighbors,” Treviño said.
FAIR also has links to two GoFundMe campaigns that are running in support of Genesee County residents who have been detained unjustly.
Jesús López Rodríguez, a Flint resident, and Nael Shamma, a Burton resident, have both been detained by ICE for months despite living in the United States for decades and having families here they care for. East Village Magazine’s Daniel Vela recently wrote an in-depth profile of Shamma’s life and story.
“(Nael) was taken this summer when he was just getting coffee with his wife,” Treviño said. “His family is heartbroken and distraught, and they’re still trying to get him back.”
Treviño hopes residents understand that just because immigration in Flint is not covered in local news the way it is in larger cities, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a presence here that causes danger for immigrant neighbors.
“Some of the things that we’re seeing nationwide, I think some people in the area think it’s not happening here, just because it’s not as outright and being filmed in the same way,” she said. “But we are seeing an ICE presence here. And, unfortunately, we don’t have the data, because it’s not publicly available for how many people are being detained in the area and when these ICE raids are happening, but they are happening.”
FAIR has an upcoming ‘teach-in’ event, hosted by the Detroit chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, planned for 6:30 p.m. on November 15 at the Neighborhood Engagement Hub in Flint. The teach-in sessions provide information and strategy about what rights people have, how to communicate information to vulnerable groups, and more.
“We really believe in people power, and making our voices heard,” Treviño said. “We’re gonna continue to educate, organize, and hold our leaders accountable.”
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