When ICE agents arrested a few people in Kingston in February, local immigrants froze with fear. Some kept their kids from school. Others wouldn’t go out in public. Some even quit their jobs. Now, in the absence of follow-up actions, people are returning to their normal lives—but that doesn’t mean everything’s the same as it was.
“The rules and regulations are shifting on a day-to-day basis,” stresses UIDN caseworker Maria Espinal. “People are still leading their daily lives—getting their kids to school, working to put food on the table—and they’re still focused on that.” she says.
People with pending asylum cases are particularly anxious. Until now, as they waited for their cases to be decided, they could expect to receive working papers within a few months. ”Those with cases in the system who believed their work permit was enough to protect them [from deportation] are wondering if it IS enough…. The legal parameters are no longer clear,” she says.
Both Maria and her caseworker colleague Daniel Woodham explain that, even if ICE has not reappeared locally, immigrants are anxious and fearful. Some are afraid to sublet rooms in their homes to people they don’t know for fear that their tenants’ immigration status could bring ICE to their doors, recounts Daniel.
Courtesy of Immigration Impact, American Immigration Council.
Maria relates the story of a woman who was due to attend an immigration appointment. A UIDN volunteer had agreed to drive her, her husband, and their baby. The woman phoned the driver the night before, saying she had decided not to attend for fear of being arrested. Maria phoned the woman back and told her that if she chose not to go, she could face an automatic deportation order; if she did go, no one knew what would happen. As it turned out, the family did attend and returned home without incident.
Some immigrant families have decided to abandon the US. and have gone elsewhere. Families whose members have different immigration statuses are fearful that one or both parents could be deported while their children remain in the US. “Immigration agents have told them that it would be best for all of them to leave together,” says Maria.
In contrast, employment opportunities have actually improved. With the borders basically closed since the Biden administration and no new immigrants entering the country, there’s a shortage of labor. “Employers need people to wash dishes, clean hotel rooms, do hard labor, gardening, construction,” explains Daniel. “There’s also a need for housekeepers; some have left the country, some may be in detention, and others may have found better work, especially if they’ve gotten work permits.”
“What has also changed in Kingston, Ulster County and, I hope, statewide, is a coming-together of the community in a cross-pollination of ideas and services. We’re coordinating efforts to make this a more supportive community and ensure no foothold for ICE,” says Daniel.
