A quiet but deeply alarming immigration crackdown is unfolding across the streets of New York and New Jersey. Everyday activities — buying milk for children, grabbing coffee, walking a dog, or picking up a child from football practice — have become moments of fear for thousands of immigrants.
According to an investigation by the American nonprofit newsroom *The City*, which reviewed more than 1,200 court records, at least 430 street arrests have taken place in the region in recent months. More than 93 percent of those arrested were Latino immigrants, even though Latinos make up approximately 66 percent of undocumented immigrants in the area.
Before President Donald Trump’s second term began, street-level immigration arrests in the New York metropolitan area were relatively uncommon. However, the sharp rise in recent months has prompted immigration lawyers to file lawsuits against the administration, arguing that many of the arrests violate constitutional protections.
Within New York City alone, investigators identified 81 street arrests. The Corona neighborhood in Queens recorded the highest number of incidents. Latino-majority communities, including Brentwood and Hempstead on Long Island, as well as Passaic and Plainfield in New Jersey, have repeatedly been targeted.
Critics argue that the nature of these operations is not only frightening but, in many cases, unlawful. Court filings describe incidents in which ICE agents claimed they were searching for someone else under a warrant but detained individuals simply because they “matched the description.”
One of the most disturbing cases involves Florencio, a Guatemalan immigrant. After finishing a painting job in Manhattan, he was walking home in Corona when masked agents suddenly surrounded him. Believing he was being kidnapped, he panicked.
At the same time, his wife, Fidelina, was leaving their apartment with their three children to go shopping. Their 13-year-old son recognized what was happening and shouted, “Mom, it’s ICE.” Their 9-year-old son saw his father and cried out as agents threw Florencio to the ground, handcuffed him, and forced him into an unmarked vehicle.
ICE later admitted they initially stopped him because his “appearance and build” resembled another person they were searching for. The individual they sought was Ecuadorian; Florencio is Guatemalan and had lived in the United States for 13 years.
Allegations of excessive force have also emerged. *The City* identified 29 cases in which detainees filed legal complaints accusing agents of violence during arrests. Reports include the use of Tasers, smashed car windows, individuals being dragged from vehicles, and the use of racial slurs.
One Ecuadorian immigrant named Diego was sitting in his vehicle when three agents surrounded him. According to reports, he was pulled from the car with blood on his face and later required hospital treatment. In another case from the Bronx, court documents allege that a 21-year-old man was pinned to the ground and shocked six times with a Taser while an agent insulted him with the phrase “maldito Mexicano” — roughly translated as “damn Mexican.”
In a sworn statement, the young man wrote: “That’s when I realized he arrested me simply because I looked Hispanic.”
For many families, the suffering continues long after the arrest. While desperately searching for legal assistance, Florencio’s wife Fidelina became the victim of a scam. Fraudsters contacted her through WhatsApp, promising free help and sending fake receipts bearing government seals. She ultimately lost $13,000.
Meanwhile, Florencio was transferred from New York to New Jersey, then to Texas, and eventually to New Mexico. During Christmas, his children asked over the phone whether he would come home. Struggling to hold back tears, he could not answer them properly.
After four months in detention, he was released near an airport close to the detention center and told to arrange his own journey home.
Columbia University law professor Elora Mukherjee said the evidence confirms what many New Yorkers already suspect: “ICE is engaging in racial profiling in its street arrests.”
The Department of Homeland Security has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “disgusting and categorically false.” Officials insist that individuals are targeted only for immigration violations or criminal matters, not because of race or skin color.
The atmosphere of fear is spreading rapidly through immigrant communities. In Sunset Park, residents have begun writing emergency phone numbers on their arms with markers in case they are detained. Church attendance has declined, day laborers are avoiding work sites, and family members now share live locations with one another throughout the day.
Juan, an immigrant arrested in Staten Island after nearly two decades in the United States, said, “Honestly, I walk in fear.”
Perhaps the most painful words came from Fidelina, whose husband was taken away in front of their children:
“They have all the power, all the authority. Destroying families means nothing to them.”
(Source: *The City*)
