Recently, the Boston Globe reported the arrest and detention of 15 Ecuadorian undocumented immigrants in Everett, Massachusetts. The arrest, which was undertaken by agents of the Coast Guard and then handed the Ecuadorian immigrants over to immigration authorities, led to the deportation of two of the undocumented immigrants.
This is not the only case of undocumented immigrants being arrested in Everett. There, like in other cities in Massachusetts, the immigrant community lives in terror. Although nothing much is reported in the newspapers, people spread the word when it happens in their area. In a recent meeting of the community organization Centro Presente, one member told the story of a Salvadorian man who had recently been detained by immigration agents.
The man, who was intoxicated when arrested, was practically carried by the agents down the stairs in the building where he lived. Finally, infuriated by the man’s state and his lack of balance, they let him fall down the stairs as desperate family members and neighbors witnessed the scene.
In Lawrence, Massachusetts, some whites have taken it upon themselves to denounce undocumented immigrants. Photographs and warning messages in electronic media show undocumented immigrants whose remaining hours in the city are numbered.
But the owner of a well-known money transfer business in Lawrence complained bitterly that his business is suffering. He attributes the crisis to the dearth of transfers being made by immigrants to their families in Latin America.
“Many people are afraid to go out into the street, thinking that they will be detained,” he said, explaining the situation.
The topic of undocumented immigrants is a hot item on the radio and newspapers in the past few months in Massachusetts. In Boston alone, the main media outlets have been denouncing businesses that contract undocumented workers. To the surprise of many, one of the companies is a cleaning company that cleans Boston police stations.
The attack on businesses that employ undocumented workers has expanded to the whole state, closing off sources of work for immigrants without papers.
A year ago, this type of campaign against immigrants was unthinkable in Massachusetts. Now, it has become a daily occurrence. The anti-immigrant wave has arrived at the state legislature, which is already debating several projects to end illegal immigration. Among the proposals presented, there is one that would cut off assistance in public hospitals to undocumented immigrants and another that would promote a 24-hour hotline to report employers that hire undocumented workers.
These projects are in addition to the one presented by Governor Mitt Romney, which seeks to allow state police to act as immigration agents. That way, the police can detain undocumented immigrants on highways and streets and by visiting homes.
The immigration debate is also contaminating the state governor’s race. Without a doubt, the topic will be one of the most important among Democratic and Republican candidates this fall. Immigration concerns voters like never before.
In several cities in Massachusetts the immigrant population has increased in recent years, invading areas like Everett and Lexington. In earlier years, these were considered totally white areas.
The arrival of immigrants to these and other cities has resulted in resentment among the white population, which blames immigrants for filling up public hospitals and public assistance centers, and using up sources of work, leaving the local population with less access to public services than it had years before.
For Tito Mesa, director of the Honduran Project, the topic of undocumented immigrants is being used by Republican candidates to earn the conservative vote in Massachusetts, in order to continue their decade-long period of power in state government.
“Republican candidates are working intensely using the budgets they manage to neutralize commercial media, like Univision, which participated in the immigrant protests. Now, looking at the gubernatorial election, they are trying to influence and neutralize the churches,” he said.
Elena Letona, director of Centro Presente, emphasized the difficult situation facing the Massachusetts immigrant community.
“Unfortunately we are living within a legal and legislative framework that justifies these anti-immigrant actions, which are happening repeatedly in our state,” she commented, referring also to the drastic HR4437 (Amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act) being debated in congress, considered one of the most racist laws ever presented for debate in this country.
Despite the cold wind blowing through the immigrant community, Letona said that there will always be room for struggle and pointed out the necessity of prioritizing action on the part of pro-immigrant agencies and institutions.
“We have to focus on the electoral process to demonstrate the power of our vote,” she said.
As part of a national movement, Letona said that Centro Presente and other local organizations have started a campaign to register voters and educate Latinos about the positions held by the various gubernatorial candidates regarding immigration.
Another current task is creating alliances with the African-American community, a sector immigrants have yet to successfully approach.
“It’s important for the African-American community to see that the immigration issue has a lot in common with (their community’s) interests. For example, social injustice and discrimination are felt by an African-American as much as by an immigrant. Unity between these sectors could benefit us very much,” she concluded.
