Trump Threatens Mass Deportations, Caribbean Nationals Wary
Uncertainty has gripped undocumented Caribbean nationals in the United States after President Donald Trump vowed to launch a massive roundup across the country, followed by deportations.
Trump announced last month that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency would conduct raids in communities heavily populated by immigrants, including major cities such as Miami, Baltimore, Chicago and Los Angeles, home to thousands of Caribbean nationals.
The aim, he explained, is to apprehend and remove millions of undocumented residents from the U.S., specifically targeting those who entered the U.S. in recent years and were ordered deported or did not appear for hearings in court as required.
Trump’s declaration sparked a rallying cry from Caribbean American legislators, who blasted the proposed roundup and offered advice to undocumented nationals to counter ICE’s proposed actions.
The raids were scheduled for June 23. Some 20,000 families were initially targeted. But the president backed down the day before the raids were due to begin. Trump claimed the delay was to give Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress time to “get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border.”
“If not, Deportations start!” he stated on Twitter.
However, several news outlets reported the raids were called off because the plan had been leaked, possibly by senior officials in immigration law enforcement who opposed it. Other reports indicated there may have been no real plan at all.
OPPOSITION
Meanwhile, elected officials with Caribbean ties in several cities publicly denounced Trump’s plan and announced they would not support the ICE raids.
“We have a bigot-in-chief who is overstepping his authority in his role as president pushing to deport immigrants from America,” U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, daughter of Jamaican immigrants, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“It’s clear that he has one objective: to whitewash America. But that’s not who America is; we are a nation built by immigrants. I will continue to push back on Trump as he tries to instill fear in and bully our immigrant neighbors, friends and family.”
Other legislators tried to calm the Caribbean community.
“We’re asking everyone to stay put,” New York State Assemblywoman RodneyseBichotte, daughter of Haitian immigrants, told CMC.
COPING
Legislators and immigration activists also offered advice on how to cope with Trump’s threat.
“ICE is not supposed to harass people,” Bichotte said. “… Do not open doors. ICE cannot come in without a signed warrant by a criminal court judge. They can only come in if you let them.
“If you are in a public space, ask, ‘am I being arrested or detained. If yes, exercise your right to remain silent, and ask to speak to a lawyer. If no, ask if you can leave and then leave calmly.”
Bichotte advised that if Caribbean nationals are passengers in a car, ICE can only ask information about the driver.
“They do not have the right to question passengers,” she told CMC. “Passengers need to be silent and not say anything. Leave home only when you have to, and do your best to be a passenger with a driver who has (legal) papers.”
WORRY
Trump’s announcement left undocumented Caribbean nationals wondering why the president has chosen to relentlessly target them as they try to go about their normal business. Many are keeping a close eye on the president’s latest threats.
“They want to know a wahdi people dem do (Trump),” said a California-based undocumented Caribbean national. “People are talking about (the ICE raids) … The people are watching (the government).”
However, despite some expressed concern, Trump’s announcement did not appear to spark immediate widespread panic in the Caribbean community. Some believe Trump’s constant threats have made Caribbean nationals concerned, not rattled.
“Most people are being pragmatic,” said Irwine Clare, a Caribbean American immigration activist. “… They’ve grown wary of (Trump’s threats). They say ‘what’s new?’ … (The proposed roundup) is not a major chatter.”
