UNDOCUMENTED FEARFUL

As mentioned last month, the current political and social climate is increasingly concerning for undocumented immigrants (see MGH Community News, February 2006 for links about immigrant rights when detained). Some illustrations of events adding to immigrants’ concerns include:

• a recent admission that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of the Department of Homeland Security had been using fake mandatory Occupational Safety and Health Administration meetings in workplaces to round-up and arrest illegal immigrant workers (The Boston Globe, 3/30/06);
• in a two-day sweep through Boston this month, federal officials arrested 60 immigrants, nearly all with records of arrests or convictions, in what they said was an effort to rid the streets of potential offenders and stem the recent violence that has gripped Boston's neighborhoods. Forty-three were legal residents, but legal immigrants are subject to deportation if they have been convicted of a felony. Advocates for immigrants criticized the arrests, which were mostly of men living in Dorchester, East Boston, and Mattapan, saying that authorities had targeted people of color and gave too few details about the severity of the charges (The Boston Globe, 3/17/06).
• there are two vastly different bills making their way through the U.S. Legislature- one including provisions offering a path to citizenship for the undocumented, the other making it a federal crime to offer them any concrete assistance.

These are some examples among many. Given the current environment, staff may find that undocumented immigrants are less forthcoming about their status, less willing to discuss immigration concerns and even refuse to apply for assistance for which they are eligible. As always, Social Service staff should feel free to contact the CRC or MIRA (Mass Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition) (617) 350-5480, for assistance.

03/06