Sandy Hook resident Alex Villamil's parents migrated to Connecticut from Colombia, just three months before he was born in Stamford; and while they were not undocumented, Mr Villamil grew up with undocumented people and knows a lot of people who are undocumented.'Keep Families Together'prismhsptng@aol.com.

The recent surge in serving deportation notices to people who are contributing to society has become a concern to the contractor, who is married and has four children.

"I feel like it could have been me, so I sympathize with their plight," said Mr Villamil in a recent interview. "This is an opportunity for me to lend my voice," he said.

The opportunity to which he refers is the formation of a new group in Newtown dedicated to supporting undocumented immigrants in Connecticut, and working through Action Together in Danbury and Newtown Forward. Both are groups that work to raise awareness and address civic issues. Mr Villamil, a member of and the human rights chair for Newtown Forward, is putting together "an accompaniment team," he said, and since November, 13 people locally have agreed to take part.

The accompaniment team, he explained, is an idea brought to Action Together by another group, Shoreline Indivisible in Guilford.

Shoreline had created a template entailing groups supporting an attorney who works pro bono to help undocumented people. By providing support services such as research and background, volunteers make it possible for an attorney to keep costs down. His group, which is still unnamed, Mr Villamil said, will be fundraising to provide expenses to any attorney assisting them.

Many of the volunteers will be providing moral support by attending court dates with those people given notice to leave the country.

His passion to help the undocumented was fed by an incident last April. "I heard about Luis Barrios from Derby; he's a father, a blue collar worker, has a wife. This was four days before his deportation date," Mr Villamil said, when he saw on Facebook that there would be a rally for Mr Barrios in Hartford.

"I went to the rally, and we hit Facebook hard through Newtown Forward, CIRA [Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance], and Action Together," he said. Combined with sending letters to editors nationwide, more rallies, and calling on state and national representatives, "We got a stay for Luis. The court allowed a two-year stay," he said. By then, Mr Barrios' daughter will be 21 years old - and able to sponsor a parent to stay here.

Since April, Mr Villamil has helped four other undocumented workers, including one man from Newtown. A family man who has lived here for 13 years, has his own business, and is "just like me," he said, was granted a two-and-a-half -year stay the first week in December, to close the case. Mr Villamil attended the court proceedings, physically present to bear witness.

The judge noted that the man had been improperly served; with the new court date more than two years out, Mr Villamil feels confident that there will then be a motion to close the case, and this undocumented worker will be freed from the fear of deportation.

"If he had been given 30 days notice to leave at court... then we would have set things in motion again, as for Luis [Barrios]," he said.

The Fairfield County Community Wellness Index found at ct.gov notes that 191,300 of the 934,200 citizens of this county in 2014 were immigrants, with 47,400 being undocumented immigrants.

The undocumented are here for a number of reasons, Mr Villamil said. Some have overstayed visas; some came illegally seeking asylum, or due to hardships in their own countries. Other illegals come to make a living to help their families back in their homelands. There are people who are working and paying taxes and living here undocumented for 15, 20 years, Mr Villamil said.

For one reason or another, their cases have "fallen through the cracks." Then suddenly, he or she is served with a notice to get a ticket and get out of America in 30 days. Whether a person has a spouse, parents, or children living here is not taken into consideration, he said, and it is a situation that has recently worsened.

"It's a fearsome time [for undocumented people], especially those who are working and reporting... It's like the undocumented are being used as a scapegoat for the troubles of America. It's easy," he said, "to lay blame on a group with few legal options. That's my take on it.

"My goal is to get the word out and let people see what [the undocumented] are going through. It's humiliating and dehumanizing." Mr Villamil noted that those served must wear ankle bracelets, and that when income issues do not allow for childcare, children must be brought with to the court proceeding, "And that's not something children should see. My number one personal goal is to keep families together."

It is almost, he said, like the Trump administration is focusing on "easy" deportations, rather than the people who should be deported. Previous administrations seemed to "overlook" the undocumented who were not making waves, who were working, who were not unsavory elements.

"There's no rhyme or reason to this," he observed; an undocumented father may be served notice to leave, but his undocumented wife is not - which is a good thing, except it leaves families in flux as to what to do, where to go, how to remain together. "I ask myself, 'What would I do if I was in his shoes?'" Mr Villamil wondered.

He is conscious that some undocumented immigrants deserve deportation.

"If it's someone who is actually a criminal, someone who is not here to live the American dream like a lot of our parents were - I'd put him on the plane, myself," Mr Villamil said.

There is a major need in this area [for assisting undocumented immigrants], Mr Villamil pointed out, adding that he was very surprised to find the need in his hometown.

Newtown is the fifth group in the state being formed for this purpose, and will be assisted and mentored by Shoreline Indivisible.

"The beautiful thing is, if we need help, Shoreline is there. We're independent, but part of something," Mr Villamil said.

Right now, the Newtown group is looking for more volunteers and an attorney willing to work pro bono with them. The lawyer should be willing to take an individual "'under his/her wing.' Then, when we have this attorney, the group will meet with him or her," he said. Meetings will be determined depending on how many people need help. Volunteers to be part of the accompaniment team can expect to commit to two to three hours a week, providing attorney assistance or accompanying undocumented people to court, "Depending on how involved the person wants to become."

It is a good opportunity for retired people or people with some optional free time who are so inclined to help, Mr Villamil suggested. People with a legal background are ideal, but no legal experience is needed to offer moral support.

To find out more about the Newtown group, contact Mr Villamil at

Through this involvement, Mr Villamil said, "You lose that sense of hopelessness. You're doing something."