Dear Editor,
Like many people, I have been deeply disturbed by the news articles and images coming out of Chicago, Los Angeles and now Minneapolis of masked ICE agents pulling people from their cars, workplaces and schools. Many of these people disappear for weeks or months at a time with their family – and attorneys – unable to see or reach them as they are whisked away to facilities in other states, languishing for weeks and months in overcrowded and ill-equipped facilities.
In many instances these people are not afforded the rights that our system requires: due process and the right to fair legal representation as you plead your case in front of a judge.
There’s a temptation to think that these raids wouldn’t happen in our lovely bucolic town of North Salem, but the reality is that they are.
Since early November, at least five individuals who have worked in North Salem were grabbed by ICE agents in raids in Brewster.
These were not the “worst of the worst” that the federal government said they would target. They were people who worked on farms and properties – several for decades. They are people who live here, raised their families here, paid their taxes, and contributed to the wonderful quality of life that we all enjoy.
Many immigrants in our community are terrified and are afraid to go to work, to church, or even to send their children to school.
Many people are fearful that even talking about this will bring unwelcome attention to our community.
However, Carola Bracco, executive director of Neighbor’s Link, an organization which provides advocacy and support for immigrant families in Westchester, emphasizes that we need to publicize what’s happening and to encourage our local officials to acknowledge it, and to speak out against it. Only then will the trampling on the rights of immigrants stop.
-Janet Olshansky, North Salem
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