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Migrants Flee NYC Shelters Amid Looming ICE Raids Before Trump’s Inauguration
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Fear is gripping New York City’s migrant shelters as reports of imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, timed to coincide with Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, have many fleeing their government-funded accommodations. According to a report that appeared on Sunday in The New York Post, migrants housed in shelters across the city are leaving preemptively, hoping to avoid potential deportation.
Kervin Nava, a 31-year-old migrant from Venezuela, told The New York Post he was actively making plans to leave his Long Island City shelter. “It is better to leave before,” he said, emphasizing the sense of urgency felt by many migrants.
At a Manhattan shelter, a man identifying himself only as Rafael described an atmosphere of fear. “It’s in God’s hands,” Rafael told The New York Post, “but there are people who have started leaving the hotels because they’re scared.” He recounted a recent incident when ICE officers came with an arrest warrant for another resident, leaving others convinced they could be next. “Nothing they could do,” he said, reflecting the perceived helplessness of the situation.
Mass deportations have been a hallmark of Trump’s immigration agenda, and his second term appears poised to prioritize them once again. As The New York Post reported, Trump has appointed Tom Homan as his “border czar,” tasking him with implementing these policies immediately. Homan has already identified so-called sanctuary cities, including New York and Chicago, as primary targets for ICE operations.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Homan described the planned raids as expansive. “It’s going to be a big raid all across the country,” Homan said, as quoted by The New York Post. “Chicago is just one of many places. We’ve got 24 [ICE] field offices across the country. On Tuesday, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens.”
Although some details of the raids were leaked last week, potentially causing delays, Homan assured that the operation would proceed, creating anxiety among migrants. “Delayed or not,” he said, “it’s coming.”
For many migrants, the looming raids represent the shattering of already fragile hopes. Limame Gueye, a 29-year-old migrant, told The New York Post that some fear ICE agents will arrive in buses to round up people directly from shelters and transport them to airports for deportation.
Others, like Colombian migrant Kevin Llena, are frustrated at the sudden dimming of their prospects. Llena, who has been waiting at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown for over a year for a work permit, now fears it may never come. “It’s like everything we’ve worked for is being taken away,” Llena said, according to The New York Post.
“The idea of raids at the hotel, that worries me,” Llena also told The New York Post. With his wife and two young children also staying at a city shelter, Llena said he works hard to stay informed about developments, but the uncertainty looms large. “If something like a raid happens, I need to protect my family,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rafael, a 35-year-old Venezuelan national, expressed cautious optimism that Trump’s policies might not target all migrants. “Trump won’t send people back who are here to work and make an honest living,” he told The New York Post. “Only the people who are causing problems or relying on the government.” His comments reflect a widespread hope that hard-working migrants might be spared.
Others, however, are leaving their futures in the hands of fate. Francis, a 44-year-old Venezuelan mother, said, “Everything is in God’s hands. I just have to trust him,” as quoted by The New York Post.
The fear of impending raids coincides with a steady decline in the number of migrants housed in New York City shelters. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, the shelter population, which once exceeded 65,000, has fallen to under 51,000. City officials have responded by announcing the closure of larger migrant facilities, including tent cities on Randall’s Island in Manhattan and at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
When asked whether migrants have been leaving shelters in anticipation of ICE raids, City Hall declined to comment, according to The New York Post. However, the timing of these closures and the general anxiety among migrants suggest a possible link.
The ongoing migrant crisis has posed significant challenges for New York City authorities, including the NYPD. As reported by The New York Post, the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has established a presence in the city’s shelter system since 2022, exacerbating concerns about public safety. The gang’s foothold has led to increased criminal activity, complicating efforts to manage the migrant population while ensuring the safety of New Yorkers.
