Overview:
Originally published by Epicenter NYC, this report details how an early morning ICE raid in Jackson Heights disrupted daily life and prompted residents to mobilize in defense of immigrant neighbors.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published here by Epicenter NYC and has been republished by The Haitian Times for its relevance to our readers.
By S. Mitra Kalita.
JACKSON HEIGHTS — Jackson Heights woke up to the sound of helicopters. Almost instantly, there were posts on Facebook and text messages reporting sightings of ICE at 89th Street and 34th Avenue.
ICE agents had actually arrived before then, entering the neighborhood in the early morning hours of Thursday, Dec. 4. Long before TV trucks showed up, tinted SUVs and masked federal officers blocked traffic and began checking cars in an intersection in a residential part of the neighborhood.
The superintendent of a building on the block confirmed to Epicenter that members of at least one family were taken. State Sen. Jessica Ramos posted a video on Instagram with an account of the scene.
What happened in Jackson Heights fits a larger pattern: small-scale ICE operations are happening at a faster clip than the dramatic, highly publicized raids that dominate national news. These are more surgical actions, often taking place in New York’s boroughs, where agents can maneuver more easily than in dense downtown Manhattan. The effect is the same, if not greater — an atmosphere of constant fear and uncertainty for immigrants who live, work, congregate and raise families on these blocks.
In Jackson Heights, a neighborhood known across the world as a hub of immigration and diversity, one forever defined by people coming and going, Thursday’s ICE’s operation was the latest in a string of disruptions to what could be called the Queens way of life.
On this particular morning, witnesses described at least three vehicles clustered around an intersection off 34th Avenue named Paseo Park in a highly orchestrated ceremony last month. There were at least four federal agents in one SUV: three men, one woman in vests labeled POLICE or HSI, for Homeland Security Investigations. They set up a roadblock at the intersection, checking cars and waving some drivers through. Neighbors packing their cars to leave watched as a couple of dog walkers began shouting at the agents. There was some back and forth, including one agent who, when taunted, replied that he was former military. As the scene unfolded, people began blowing whistles to alert neighbors.
According to an organizer, the whistles are intended to get vulnerable people to a safe place and to alert those who might feel comfortable confronting ICE agents to get on the scene. “Especially in a big city, they ignore yelling. The idea with the whistles is to save people,” this person said, requesting anonymity because they are organizing patrols and helping immigrants find havens. The organizers noted an uptick in families needing escorts for school pickup and dropoff, as well as of these types of arrests where federal officials have warrants but also seek “collateral” detainees.
These kinds of operations are not accidental in their geography. As Epicenter NYC has reported, New York City is crowded and gridlocked, far from ideal for a typical ICE caravan of large SUVs that needs to move in, deploy agents and pull out quickly. In neighborhoods like Jackson Heights, there is just enough space and roadway for rapid, semi-covert maneuvers, but also enough density that word spreads quickly: a helicopter here, a roadblock there, a family gone.
Taken together, these raids and roadblocks build a steady drumbeat of fear and spectacle, even when there are no cameras around. They send two simultaneous messages: to supporters, that the government is making good on promises to crack down on “dangerous” immigrants; and to communities like Jackson Heights, defined by migration and constant movement, that everyday routines — dog walks, school drop-offs, packing the car — can be interrupted at any moment by agents with guns in unmarked SUVs. Long after the vehicles pull away, that message lingers and devastates more than our security and economy but our very way of life. ICE has taken more than our neighbors away.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Hands Off NYC is organizing regular trainings to mobilize communities to protect our neighbors.
More info here. The Queens training is Dec. 13, noon to 4 p.m. in Long Island City.
New York Immigration Coalition also has regular information sessions and resources for immigrants who need help. More info here. Weekly Neighborhood Defense training sessions are held every Wednesday via Zoom. Registration is here.
Whistles are available at Art Retail Therapy at 84-26 37th Ave. and the World’s Borough Book Shop at 34-06 73rd St., both in Jackson Heights.
Rose Hoban and Nitin Mukul contributed reporting.
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