‘People Are Terrified’: Local Advocate Highlights Immigrant Fears

By Larry Epstein

As federal immigration enforcement ramps up, fear is gripping immigrant communities across Westchester. 

Director of Legal Services at Neighbors Link Community Law Practice Karin Anderson Ponzer knows better than most.

“People are terrified,” Anderson Ponzer observed. “They are scared and so are their children.” 

Neighbors Link, a nonprofit, is headquartered in Mt. Kisco, with offices in Ossining and Yonkers. 

All three communities feature large immigrant populations. 

About 41 percent of Mount Kisco’s population, nearly one-third of Ossining residents, and 32.6% of Yonkers residents are Hispanic, Latino, or foreign-born, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

Fear

As the Trump administration ramps up its immigration crackdown and deportation push, fear and confusion are spreading throughout the diverse communities of Westchester. 

The president has ordered immigration sweeps and imposed deportation quotas saying the focus is on criminals who are here illegally. 

But many people who haven’t been accused of any crimes are also getting swept up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

For instance, a report from NBC on Jan. 27 noted how immigration authorities arrested nearly 1,200 people in a single day, with almost half having no criminal record, citing a senior Trump administration official.

Following Trump’s return to office on Jan. 20, ICE activity has been confirmed in various Westchester municipalities, with operations reported in communities such as Peekskill, Ossining, Pleasantville, and Sleepy Hollow.

The Trump administration has said it views all undocumented immigrants as “criminals,” not just those who have committed violent offenses.

“Most immigration violations are civil so under the new enforcement policies anyone is subject to enforcement,” Anderson Ponzer remarked in an interview. 

She also emphasized how the fear is impacting many people “who wouldn’t be considered a threat to the public.”

“They are raising their children here and contributing to the society, they are not criminals – but they are being treated like criminals,” she said.

Mission Work

Neighbors Link’s mission is “to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants.” It also provides a full array of legal services.

The services are free – that includes helping people with citizenship applications and removal proceedings and representing both children and adults in the New York State and federal courts. 

Neighbors Link works with people from several countries on different continents, especially those from Central American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

There is also a lot of fear in the schools, after the Trump Administration revoked a policy that prohibited immigration agents from making arrests at “sensitive locations” including schools and houses of worship. 

“Parents are preparing for possible arrest or deportation by doing safety planning…they need people they can trust to care for their kids and property short term while they make long term plans,” Anderson Ponzer said. 

And the rules keep changing. The administration just revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans – meaning they will lose their work permits and deportation protections. 

“We represent hundreds of Venezuelans who followed all the rules and came to this country for protection, now they are facing deportation,” Anderson Ponzer said.  Even people with legal status are terrified, she also pointed out, “because who knows when the laws will change.” 

“I have people with TPS who are now facing the specter of it being stripped away, and not because they did anything wrong,” she added.

But that doesn’t mean people can be treated differently than everyone else in the eyes of the law. 

Rights

Anderson Ponzer stressed that the U.S. Constitution protects “persons not citizens, 4th and 5th Amendment rights apply to anyone.” That means all people enjoy the same basic rights to remain silent, have an attorney present – and police can’t enter their home without a special warrant.  

She also said that Neighbors Link’s legal services have “consistently high demand and that continues to be the case. Now more people are interested in learning their rights and rules under the law.”

As ICE ramps up raids, some residents are becoming more afraid of law enforcement, which could cause them to avoid police even if they are crime victims. 

Advocates like Anderson Ponzer worry about the resulting “chilling effect on public safety.” 

“Broad enforcement action is so concerning because ICE agents can just knock on doors and say police…and uniformed officers knocking on doors makes everyone afraid of the law, I don’t see how that’s making anyone safer,” Anderson Ponzer concluded.

For information on volunteering and other details about Neighbors Link, visit https://neighborslink.org.