There was a great feature published in New York Magazine on Sunday, about undocumented families living in the New York area. It lays bare the daily reality of fear facing immigrant communities. In the wake of the brutal murder of Marcelo Lucero in Long Island, immigrants across the region are nervous about their safety and the safety of their families.
The tension is subterranean, but unremitting. By mayoral executive order, the police are banned from casual questioning about immigration status—but who knows, as Alberto said, “when we’ll bump into a racist cop and he’ll ask for our papers?” And so you’ll see certain dark-skinned people move to the next car when they spot a blue uniform on the subway. They steer clear of hospitals until they are too sick to stand. The undocumented are muted when landlords withhold heat, or bosses refuse to pay, or Feds search their bedrooms without warrants. When you are “out of status,” you learn to keep quiet. To dodge exposure. To stay to work another day
This feature is a MUST read. Check out the full piece here.
