CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Immigration lawyers in our area say their phones are ringing off the hook. People are dealing with anxiety about their immigration status and what’s coming next. At this point, immigration lawyers say Charlotte has not been named among the short list of cities that could be targeted in raids like Chicago, and San Antonio. There are still a lot of concerns about what the sweeping executive orders focused on immigration mean for people in this country both illegally and legally. On his first day in office in front of an arena of supporters, President Trump signs several executive orders including one that declares an emergency at the southern border, to activate the military and limit pathways to American citizenship. Immigration attorney Mary Lynn Tedesco says she’s been getting calls from people worried about their immigration status under the new administration. “The overwhelming sense is anxiety anxiety about what their futures are, what the futures of their families are,” Tedesco said. “Most of the people that I’m speaking with, they’ve been your neighbors for 10 to 15 years. They’ve been the ones that you’ve been sitting next to in the church pews on Sundays. I think that there is a real sense of disconnect between those individuals that I see on a daily basis and the rhetoric regarding criminals and individuals that have been causing chaos and disruption in our communities and in reality.” Tedesco believes some of the executive orders will likely result in court challenges. “There’s going to be a lot of chaos and uncertainty while we see these court challenges shake out,” Tedesco said. “That’s really where we’re going to see the fabric of our communities see some destabilization overall.” Immigration offices are overwhelmed with people trying to secure their status. WCCB saw long lines at the Charlotte field office ahead of the inauguration. There are concerns about the impact of possible large scale deportations. “I think that really halts the progress of a growing city, because it halts all of the underlying labor that causes progress to be successful” Tedesco said. Tedesco says she thinks judges will rule some trump policies are legal. A judge ruled his “Remain in Mexico” policy was constitutional during his last term. Tedesco is concerned about what she calls the humanity of President Trump’s agenda. “When we push out those individuals who we are meant to protect because they are here and we don’t give them a fair shake in a court of law, that is absolutely a moral failing,” Tedesco said. President Trump has also said he plans to take steps to end birthright citizenship which grants automatic citizenship to anyone born on US grounds even if their parents are immigrants.