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Immigration and deportation are key topics in this week’s Tennessee legislative session, and a local nonprofit group is helping residents prepare for possible deportation.

Nationwide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports more than 900 arrests since the Trump administration has started following through on its promise of a “mass deportation.”

Luis Mata, a communications officer for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, called for immigration reform while criticizing President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order that expands detention. He added that they are helping Tennessee’s 400,000 immigrants prepare, not panic.

“Communities across the state are prepared to protect ourselves and our families,” he said, “and we’re doing that through continuing to build our robust network of organizations, community leaders, [and] community members who are ready to step up and make sure that we all have what we need to build the good life and to live up to Tennessee values.”

Gov. Bill Lee has proposed strengthening immigration enforcement across Tennessee by creating a new division within the Department of Safety, supporting local law enforcement participation in federal programs and considering state-issued IDs.

Mata argued that mass deportation would lead to labor shortages and hurt businesses already struggling to build a reliable workforce.

“Immigrants are deeply rooted in Tennessee and our communities,” he said. “We are part of not just the social and cultural fabric of the state and country, but, equally importantly, we are part of the fabric that makes our economy thrive.”

The Trump administration has issued an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants born in the United States. Several states are suing over the issue; Tennessee isn’t one of them.

Mata said eliminating birthright citizenship would violate the Constitution.

“Birthright citizenship has been protected by the 14th Amendment for over 150 years,” he said. “And what it is, it’s a simple standard of determining who is American without the color of your skin, without ancestry. Racialized citizenship is a thing of the past and should remain that way.”