Immigrants Living in Constant Fear

If there is one small effect from the recent ICE actions and reaction from Americans who oppose illegal immigration, it may be this:

From the Lakeland Ledger (Fl):

HAINES CITY — On a normal day, the small dining room at Mi Ranchito, a bodega, is busy at lunchtime with a crowd of regular customers enjoying spicy chiles rellenos or enchiladas.

Things were different Thursday.

“Not a single person came to have lunch today,” said Maria Rodriguez, a store clerk. “This is usually packed, but it is probably the rumors.”

The rumors Rodriguez referred to are of immigration officials showing up unexpectedly at bodegas, supermarkets and bakeries, asking employees and customers for documentation and arresting those who don’t have proper papers. These rumors are spreading like wildfire across Polk County and Central Florida.

Rodriguez said her store has been inundated with callers asking whether it’s true that la Migra (Immigration) has raided her store.

“I tell them no, it is not true,” Rodriguez said. “It’s sad to hear people with so much fear.”

Unspoken is the fact that legal immigrants have no need to be afraid, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said.

“We have enforcement operations every day in this country,” Gonzalez said. “If you are in this country legally, you have nothing to worry about.”

Part of the IFCO arrests published recently took place in the same area.

On April 19, federal agents arrested 38 illegal workers at IFCO Systems pallet recycling plant south of Bartow. It was part of a 26-state sweep that resulted in the arrests of 1,187 illegal IFCO workers and a handful of company managers.

The rumors may dampen the planned let-us-break-the-law rallies.

The frenzy created by the rumors has hit the Hispanic community just days before a national strike planned for Monday.

Juan Mojica, an organizer and coordinator for Inmigrantes Latinos Unidos de la Florida (United Latino Immigrants of Florida) in Lake Wales, a national immigrants rights organization, said the rumors are confusing the public and are deterring people from joining a local rally planned for Monday in Orlando.

“I heard someone calling a radio station, saying Immigration was holding a checkpoint in Haines City,” Mojica said. “Later, we found out it was the police conducting a routine traffic enforcement effort.”

Mojica said his group is not backing away from Monday’s national strike.

“We are telling laborers to go to work instead if they think they may lose their job if they participate. We are encouraging them to send their kids to school,” Mojica said. But he said people are being asked not to spend their money that day. “We are asking them to prepare themselves with enough gasoline, food or any goods before Monday.”

Some Hispanic small business owners are worried the sweep rumors will continue after Monday and will hammer their livelihood for good.

Nonetheless, most are planning to shut down their businesses Monday anyway.

Juan Alfaro, owner of La Tapatia Grocery in Haines City, said he supports the strike and is considering closing his business that day.

The sweep rumors have affected his store as well, he said.

“Wednesdays are usually not the busiest day of the week,” Alfaro said. “But this past Wednesday was the slowest of the year so far.”

Let me make it clear one more time. Those who are voicing their vocal opposition are against illegal immigration — not against immigration, not against Mexicans or any other race. But we will continue to speak out against those who flout our laws and ignore our rich heritage of real, legal immigration.

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

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