Dear Editor,
Newspapers are reporting that Federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) Agents of Homeland Security raided restaurants, stores and other job sites in Elmhurst and other parts of Queens. There are also rumours that ICE agents raided Liberty Avenue, Richmond Hill (dubbed Little Guyana) last week though this has not been confirmed.
The reports from raids in Queens say hundreds were picked up. And it is not clear if any out of status Guyanese immigrants were picked up and in custody and the nature of their violations. Trinis and Jamaicans were arrested. Rumours of the raids swept through the tight Indo-Guyanese and Indo-Trini communities of Queens where tens of thousands of Indian Guyanese and Trinis are settled. Queens is home to tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants from the Caribbean and Latin America, including thousands of Indo-Caribbeans. These immigrants contribute billions of US dollars in productivity; they engage in low level and low paying jobs (like picking fruits and vegetables, staffing restaurants, stacking shelves of groceries or vegetable stands, and factory work) that “regular or native” Americans refuse. The illegals live among their ethnic communities to blend in and avoid attention. Because of their physical appearance and generally thought to be non-Americans, minority communities like Indians, Hispanics and Arabs are targeted for ICE raids. As community leaders and immigration advocates note, Indo-Caribbeans and South Asians are easily distinguishable from other groups and are often mistaken for Middle Eastern Arabs or Hispanics; their communities are targeted for ICE raids to check on immigration status.
ICE agents have been raiding immigrant communities all across the US since Donald Trump was sworn in as President a month ago. The new President issued an executive order for the arrest and deportation of illegal (undocumented) immigrants. In addition, the President issued a travel ban on immigrants (including those with green cards and visas) from seven Islamic countries. Already the Caribbean immigrant community is on edge in the wake of Trump’s travel ban. The raids, travel ban, detention, and denial of boarding of aircrafts bound for the US have left Guyanese and other immigrant communities worried and confused about Trump’s immigration policy. Elected officials and community leaders say the raids in New York, and particularly so in Richmond Hill, have created tremendous amount of fear among immigrants regardless of status. Officials note that immigrants who committed minor offences including evading transportation fears run the risk of being arrested and their record made available to ICE for pick up and deportation. However, the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, said the city will not turn over illegal immigrants to ICE and that anyone arrested or in public schools will not be asked about their status. Community leaders from Richmond Hill were interviewed on NY TV 1 about recent raids. The raids in various parts of Queens were condemned by all community leaders, immigration lawyers and politicians.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
