Immigration uncertainty fuels anxiety among Dubois County’s Latino community

“I can’t find my Certificate of Naturalization,” Rossina Sandoval Monsivais said, her voice catching and eyes tearing up.

This moment in her ALASI office (Asociación Latinoamericana del Sur de Indiana) captures the uncertainty many immigrants in the community feel.

Despite being a U.S. citizen with an American husband and having lived in Dubois County for 11 years, she views the missing document as a lifeline.

“The intellectual part of me knows that it’s okay, but I can’t find my Certificate of Naturalization. I’ve looked for it everywhere,” Sandoval Monsivais said. “I have my passport. But the most important thing I need to have is that certificate.”

Her fear reflects a broader unease growing in the local Latino community in response to recent changes in immigration policy and enforcement.

“What if it’s not that silly because you now know that things you thought were never gonna happen are happening,” she said. “You see people being deported without due process.”

What if they don’t let her prove she’s a citizen?

Since becoming ALASI’s director in January, Sandoval Monsivais said the organization has seen a surge in urgent needs, especially following federal immigration crackdowns.

Mental health concerns have climbed quickly, rising from the fourth or fifth most common issue to the second most frequent.

“Anxiety due to immigration changes,” she explained, is now a top concern.

Because of uncertain policies and reports of indiscriminate arrests by federal authorities, even naturalized citizens and those in the process of becoming citizens have begun avoiding routine activities—choosing to stay home instead of going to work, sending their children to school, or shopping for basic necessities.

Some are even afraid to attend scheduled court dates tied to their naturalization process.

“How can they feel safe going to court,” Sandoval Monsivais asked. “If, right now, people are scared of going to Walmart, how are they going to step into a court?”

A shortage of immigration attorneys in the area adds to the difficulty.

“We cannot do it without a lawyer, and there are zero lawyers in our area,” she said.

That rising anxiety and instability contributed to the cancellation of the annual Festival Latino, normally held in September in Huntingburg. The event typically draws visitors from across the region to celebrate Latino heritage in Dubois County.

“We started having meetings with our government, our chiefs of police, our sheriff to assess the situation,” Sandoval Monsivais said. “The most important thing for us was that we needed to be able to assure safety, to provide a safe family space.”

Initially, ALASI planned to move forward with the event. Fundraising began, and 32 vendors had signed up.

But as immigration raids escalated in nearby towns and reports of deportations without due process spread, the group reconsidered.

“We started to see the effects of the immigration raids, and we received people detained in those raids here at ALASI,” Sandoval Monsivais said. “Added to that were reports of deportations, reports of not having due process, reports of, quote, ‘collateral damage.’ These are not just violent criminals, the people immigration is taking.”

It’s anyone, she added.

After several meetings with community members and officials, “we came to the conclusion that it was not a moment in time that we can celebrate safely,” she said.

She sees ripple effects on the community.

“We’re talking about protecting our culture. We’re talking about strengthening the factors that protect our culture,” she explained. “The Festival Latino would be a safe space to showcase the beauty of the Latino culture through dances, through conversations, through what we share on the microphone.”

The festival, now in what would have been its 12th year, has always served as a cultural bridge. The first event was held in a gravel lot behind the Old Town Hall, which would later become Market Street Park. Families and local vendors formed a line through the middle, while bands performed on a donated trailer-turned-stage.

Since then, the park has evolved into a venue for community events, and the Latino Culture Festival has grown into a regional platform for connection and cultural pride. Vendors and performers travel from across Indiana and other states; last year’s event featured the crowd favorite La Sonora Dinamita de Colombia from Miami, Florida.

The festival is ALASI’s signature fundraiser, but its impact extends to vendors who rely on the event for income.

“That is an opportunity for them that they wait for every year,” Sandoval Monsivais said.

With its large attendance and high-quality performances, the event also boosts tourism in Dubois County—another loss this year.

Still, Sandoval Monsivais stands by the decision.

“We chose safety, and it is the right choice to make at this time. We will continue to work to protect our culture through smaller events this year, and we will reassess the situation next year,” she said.

Despite this setback, ALASI remains a crucial resource for the Latino community. Since January, the organization has assisted more than 750 people.

Beyond anxiety, employment continues to be the most consistent need among those seeking help.

“It has been consistent. All of the other needs have fluctuated, not employment,” Sandoval Monsivais said.

Even immigrants with legal work permits often struggle with the job application process.

“They don’t know how to apply for a job,” Sandoval Monsivais explained.

In Mexico, she said, the process is simpler. “You just go there and people will hire you. Here they have to have a computer. They have to understand the questions. They have to make their story of all the jobs they have worked.”

ALASI’s Resource Center guides them through this, working closely with local service providers and employers.

First-generation immigrants face challenges that extend far beyond paperwork. Navigating U.S. systems—from healthcare to education to the courts—requires knowledge, time, and often, specialized support.

And each of these systems must be tackled separately. In many cases, experts such as immigration attorneys are essential—and unavailable.

The cultural gap compounds the difficulty. For many immigrants, the reality they live in is constantly shaped by the one they left behind.

“That’s why it is so difficult,” Sandoval Monsivais said. “We have two bubbles all the time. We have our culture, we have our roots, we have our language, but we are living in a place where everything is different. We know that and we chose to live in this place.”

But those dual identities also stir questions of belonging.

“They miss their parents. They miss their dirt. They miss everything,” she said.

ALASI works to help them bridge those differences while also improving cultural understanding among local employers and service providers.

Despite the uncertainty, Sandoval Monsivais remains hopeful. She says the United States still offers something rare.

“The United States, it truly is a mosaic,” she said. “All of the same systems in place, the systems that the people here criticized, they still gave an opportunity for people like me to come here and make it. This doesn’t happen in other countries.”

At the same time, she knows this is a moment of real strain—a time when core American values feel increasingly fragile.

To strengthen the community, Sandoval Monsivais and ALASI have shared a guide for how others can help:

Donate — ALASI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and relies on donors to remain open. Contributions help provide services to families facing legal hurdles, mental health challenges, and language barriers. VENMO: @ALASI_IN or send a check: ALASI, 511 E 4th St., Ste. 110, Huntingburg, IN 47542

Practice Real Allyship — Start with your own family. Talk to your children about ALASI’s work, why advocacy matters, and why the festival was canceled. Share the press release and ask what they think.

Stay Informed & Speak Up — Local immigration policy affects your neighbors. Contact local officials when something seems wrong. Advocacy drives change.

Show Up — Attend ALASI events, join roundtables, celebrate culture. Bring friends and come with open hearts.

Support Bilingual Workers — Value their contributions. Don’t exploit their skills. Pay fairly for translation or interpretation. Promote equity.

Share the Mission — Awareness is action. Share this story. Bring someone to an event. Help amplify ALASI’s work.

Register to Vote — Learn who your representatives are, where they stand, and what they promise to change. Voting is a tool for justice.

In the meantime, ALASI, Sandoval Monsivais, and their allies will keep working to build a stronger, more inclusive community for all.

“As an organization, we have to navigate all of this with grace and with dignity,” she said. “And we will obey the law.”