Messenger: Fear builds in immigrant community along with isolation brought by pandemic – STLtoday.com

Amanda Tello drove her red SUV carefully down the narrow streets of the mobile home park tucked away in west St. Louis County. With cars parked on both sides of the street there was room for just one vehicle to pass at a time.

She was there for the same reason I was: following a tip that officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had raided the park, looking for undocumented immigrants.

There had been no raid, though a man who lived in the park told me there had been some suspected ICE agents driving around for a couple of days, in vehicles with dark, tinted windows.

Theres always a fear, Tello told me, in communities like this one with heavy immigrant populations, particularly Hispanic ones. She works with a group of activists helping immigrants gain access to services, food and utility aid, and educational opportunities for children. She is part of a rapid response team that heads to neighborhoods whenever there is a report of a possible ICE raid, to record interactions with federal officers and to provide help to people if its needed.

These days, ICE hasnt been particularly active in St. Louis, she says. Their office, like so many others, is shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Tello and others are trying to help guide immigrants especially those who dont speak much English through the crisis.

Its a very vulnerable time for poor people, Tello says.

Indeed, just last week, more than 3 million people across the country filed for unemployment in one week, a dubious new record. But many of the people whom Tello and organizations that help immigrants serve cant access most government aid programs. Their ability to react to the pandemic is that much more difficult.

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Messenger: Fear builds in immigrant community along with isolation brought by pandemic - STLtoday.com