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A grassroots community in Fort Morgan, a small town 80 miles northeast of Denver, has continued to welcome people seeking safety in the U.S., from civil war, cartel violence and other dangers, even after the Trump administration shut down the nation’s asylum system and ramped up deportations.

Guadalupe Lopez, immigrant rights organizer for the American Friends Service Committee, came to the U.S. in 1998 from Venezuela. She said it is important to connect families with someone they can trust, to help them navigate a completely foreign process with paperwork and other hurdles.

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"By having someone on the ground, it really makes a difference for people to have clarity about what their next step might be," Lopez explained.

In 2012, Lopez was put in shackles during a traffic stop and turned over to U.S. immigration authorities. She faced her first court appearance alone with her husband. But after being introduced to a community of activists, supporters stood by her side at the second hearing. Lopez has been dedicated to helping others ever since, and gained legal residency last year.

Lopez recently conducted one of the ongoing Know Your Rights training sessions. Through role-playing and other exercises, participants learn, practice and defend the rights afforded to all people on American soil, regardless of their immigration status under the U.S. Constitution. Lopez stressed the training can be especially useful in potential encounters with police or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"People have told us, coming out of the trainings, people feel empowered and clear," Lopez pointed out. "Those tools are invaluable to people because it reduces their fear in their everyday life, driving their kid to school or the health clinic."

Fort Morgan’s population is just over 11,000, and the community of immigrant allies is growing. Lopez added everyone basically knows everyone which can make newcomers timid about speaking out at meetings or events.

"Now, those same people are core leaders for our project," Lopez noted. "They are inspiring trust and confidence in other people that together they can have a voice, and really change some of the dynamics in Morgan County."