New York City Feels the Immigration Crackdown

**Kousha Navadar Filian** (0:10)
It's The Brian Lehrer Show, I'm Kousha Navadar Filian for Brian Today here on WNYC.
Now we'll talk about how people, communities and businesses in New York are feeling the effects of the federal immigration crackdown. Back in May, Trump's border czar Tom Homan promised to pour more ICE agents into major cities, including New York this summer.

**Ralph Thomassaint Joseph** (0:33)
We're going to flood the zone. You're going to see more ICE agents you've ever seen before.

**Kousha Navadar Filian** (0:39)
So congratulations.
The Department of Homeland Security hasn't confirmed that they're broadening ICE operations in the city. But watchdog organizations like New York City Icebreaker and Hands Off NYC have noted major spikes in ICE activity this summer. According to a study cited by one of my guests, roughly 93% of ICE arrests target Latinos. But Haitian immigrants whose temporary protected status designation ended abruptly on July 27th now feel like they're also in the crosshairs. Joining us now are Rommel Ojeda, Senior Community Correspondent and Engagement Reporter for Documented, and Ralph Thomassaint Joseph, Caribbean Communities Correspondent for Documented. Rommel and Ralph, welcome to WNYC.

**Rommel H. Ojeda** (1:31)
Thanks for having me. For having us.

**Kousha Navadar Filian** (1:32)
Absolutely. So Rommel, let's start with you. You recently reported on a rally at Corona Plaza in Queens against the apparent surge in ICE presence in the area. Some of our listeners might not be familiar with Corona Plaza, so can you tell us about its importance as a community hub?

**Rommel H. Ojeda** (1:49)
Absolutely. Corona Plaza is literally at the center of Corona in Queens, which is one of the most heaviest dense populations with foreign, from people who were born outside of the country, right? I believe more than 60 percent are immigrants. Corona Plaza has also been a hub for street vendors and a lot of Latino communities who have made the border home this part of specifically. What is interesting about this area and why the protest and the rally was held there, is that Corona has also seen a huge number of arrests that has targeted Latino immigrants. We reported on one corner that saw seven arrests in one day, for example. And what has been happening in this area is that ICE has often been cited by community organizers and volunteers who have taken photos of them on the streets and basically say that ICE officials are constantly on the areas of the street of Roosevelt and also around the area in schools.
And because there is no sort of confirmation or any ICE data released, you know, for the previous months of June and July, what these groups have done is taken the photos and the reports and have sort of reported the increase themselves.

**Kousha Navadar Filian** (3:17)
So did I hear you correctly when you said that in the Corona Plaza area, more than or about 60 percent of folks there are immigrants?

**Rommel H. Ojeda** (3:27)
Yes.
I believe it's more than 60 percent. It might be even higher with a lot of people being born in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Mexico as well.

**Kousha Navadar Filian** (3:38)
So it is a community hub for folks from outside of the United States who are now living here. And also, like you said, a lot of street vendors, a big place for commerce. The protests there, I want to dig into that a little bit. What was the mood on the ground there? Were there any noticeable differences between this protest and others that you've attended in that part of Queens?

**Rommel H. Ojeda** (3:59)
I would say that you see less immigrants attending this protest as compared to in the previous months since the Trump administration took office. What you see now is basically community organizers who are also trying to do and provide actionable information to the neighbors.
This rally specifically was more of a responsive rally where after they spoke what they had seen, they went out into the neighborhood and knocking on businesses to provide know your rights material and also whistles, right? Because a lot of the times when there is a sighting or if someone is getting arrested by an ICE official, community members, they have this pattern of using the whistle to notify other neighbors who may have a stable immigration status or who are citizens who then can come out to sort of support and push away the ICE agents who might be stopping people on the street. Yeah.

**Kousha Navadar Filian** (4:57)
And Rommel, we got a stat here from my producer. You're totally right. Even more so an article from March of 2025, New York Times says Corona is about 75% Hispanic. So at least 75%, maybe more.