WESLACO, Texas — These days, Juanita says a prayer every time she steps off the driveway of her modest rural home.

The 41-year-old mother, who crossed into the United States from Mexico more than two decades ago and married an American carpenter, fears federal agents may be on the hunt for her.

As she was about to leave for the pharmacy late last month, her husband called with a frantic warning: Immigration enforcement officers were swarming the store's parking lot. Juanita, who is prediabetic, skipped filling medications that treat her nutrient deficiencies. She also couldn't risk being detained because she has to care for her 17-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome.

“If I am caught, who's going to help my daughter?" Juanita asks in Spanish, through an interpreter. Some people quot

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