Immigration anxiety rising for Pioneer Valley migrants, advocates

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration.

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

A farm owner who did not want to be identified talks about the effects of new immigration policies under the incoming administration.

A farm owner who did not want to be identified talks about the effects of new immigration policies under the incoming administration. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

A Pioneer Valley farmworker talks about the effects of the incoming administration’s immigration policies.

A Pioneer Valley farmworker talks about the effects of the incoming administration’s immigration policies. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration.

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration.

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration.

A farm worker talks about the immigration policies with the upcoming administration. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

Asani Furaha, left, and Mateso Kagenyekero, right, sit with their son, Divin Mwami Heri at their home in Northampton. The family, which arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, credited Catholic Charities and the Center for New Americans for helping them gain citizenship, but said they still worry they could be targeted.

Asani Furaha, left, and Mateso Kagenyekero, right, sit with their son, Divin Mwami Heri at their home in Northampton. The family, which arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, credited Catholic Charities and the Center for New Americans for helping them gain citizenship, but said they still worry they could be targeted. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

Asani Furaha, left, and Mateso Kagenyekero, right, sit with their son, Divin Mwami Heri at their home in Northampton.

Asani Furaha, left, and Mateso Kagenyekero, right, sit with their son, Divin Mwami Heri at their home in Northampton. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

Asani Furaha, left, and Mateso Kagenyekero, right, sit with their son, Divin Mwami Heri at their home in Northampton, who came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, credit Catholic Charities and the Center for New Americans for helping them become citizens but are acutely aware they could be targeted.

Asani Furaha, left, and Mateso Kagenyekero, right, sit with their son, Divin Mwami Heri at their home in Northampton, who came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, credit Catholic Charities and the Center for New Americans for helping them become citizens but are acutely aware they could be targeted. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

By ALEXA LEWIS

Staff Writer

Published: 12-20-2024 7:42 PM

Modified: 12-23-2024 11:57 AM


Hunched against the cold in a warehouse filled with freshly picked vegetables, a farm laborer sat down for lunch. But her mind was somewhere else.

“I’m feeling scared, because when I go out, I’m not feeling safe to walk to the supermarket. I’m worried something will happen,” she said. “If they arrest me, in case they have to send me to my country, I want my family with me.”

Speaking in Spanish, the farmworker explained her situation to the Gazette. She had come to the United States 20 years ago from Guatemala. Over the years, she’d worked hard — picking, washing and packaging produce to make a better life for herself, her husband, and their five kids.

But only three of their children have legal citizenship status in the United States, while both parents and the other two children do not. In the next four years, they worry this might mean the life they’ve built here for themselves could be swept out from under them.

Donald Trump’s hard-line approach to immigration was a major facet of his previous administration. But while plans to build a wall along the country’s southern border took the spotlight during his last term in office, local immigrants and resettlement organizations say they have other concerns this time around.

For many, threats of mass deportations made on the campaign trail have fueled the most anxiety, but likely reductions to resettlement resources and refugee admissions are also looming large on the horizon.

Several sources were granted anonymity for this story to protect the identities and locations of those at risk of deportation.

“We’re all worried enough about the new president trying to send off all the immigrants … If you send them all away, who will take care of all the crops? We need the money, but they need us too,” said another farmworker, speaking in English. “People build a life here. Even though I have citizenship now, I worry.”

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This worker, also from Guatemala, explained that the main barrier for many of his colleagues to obtaining legal citizenship is passing English language and civics exams. And while he has cleared those hurdles himself, many of his loved ones have not.

“Some are bad people, but most are good — they come here and work hard,” he said, referring to immigrants without legal status. “If somebody comes and grabs your kids, it’s going to break your heart.”

His boss, the owner of the farm where he works, emphatically agreed.

“We need everybody,” said the owner. “This country only wins when people like this come and stay.”

Rebecca Hamlin, who researches law and immigration politics as a professor of legal studies and political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said she anticipates “a lot more” immigration policy changes in Trump’s second term compared to his first.

One of the first steps Hamlin expects Trump to take, similar to his last term, is to reduce the number of refugees allowed into the country.

“Trump could drastically reduce or bring to zero our refugee resettlement program,” she said.

Additionally, Hamlin said that Trump could ask the attorney general to interpret asylum laws in more restrictive ways, could attempt to restrict or end temporary protective status, and could limit or eliminate pathways for certain groups — as seen before with his so-called “Muslim ban.” These efforts would seriously restrict legal means of entry into the country.

“I think people think about undocumented or illegal immigrants as this separate group from American citizens,” said Hamlin, who explained that most households containing undocumented immigrants also contain American citizens. “So when they talk about deporting illegal immigrants, you’re talking about ripping apart the families of Americans.”

However, some of the immigration crackdown steps mentioned by Trump in the lead-up to the election are not within presidential power, Hamlin said. For example, Hamlin noted that ending birthright citizenship would require an amendment to the Constitution, and deporting tens of millions of immigrants would be “logistically impossible, because deportation requires due process.”

Local organizations prepare

For Joan Paris of Catholic Charities, the current political climate is filled with uncertainty, but her mission is as certain as ever.

“We are constantly working to get funding for all of the things that we do … Our goal of course is self-sufficiency and homeownership,” she explained of Catholic Charities, which has a long history of helping new Americans establish new lives in the area. “We are not dependent on the money to carry out our mission … These circumstances might slow us down, but they won’t stop us.”

For Rabbi James Greene, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts (JFS), the main concern going into the next four years is the likelihood of fewer refugees being allowed into the country.

“In my mind it questions who we are as a country that has identified itself as a melting pot and a place for people to come to build a better life for themselves. These populations want to do that,” Greene said.

“I’m concerned about a reduced number of refugees coming into the U.S. during the new administration,” seconded Sara Bedford, JFS chief operating officer.

“Frankly, refugees are a powerhouse in terms of economics. I’m concerned we’ll go back on that commitment to those people and put them back in harm’s way.”

With fewer refugees arriving to take advantage of the resettlement services at JFS, the organization is likely to also receive less funding for their existing offerings — such as connections to health care, language learning, schooling and community involvement for refugees. In strategizing for the next four years, Greene and Bedford said that diversifying their funding and building resilient programming are foremost in their minds.

“Regardless of how resettlement work changes … there are tens of thousands of immigrants that have been resettled into this region in the past years who will need our support,” said Bedford.

Many refugees and other immigrants who have resettled in the region continue to rely on the supports offered by resettlement nonprofits such as Catholic Charities and JFS.

For example, Asani Furaha and Mateso Kagenyekero, who arrived in Northampton as refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo with their their 5-year-old son, Divin Mwami Heri, in 2018, have become American citizens and homeowners. These accomplishments are owed both to their own hard work and the aid of volunteers from Catholic Charities and the Center for New Americans.

Speaking in English and some French, the family shared their story with the Gazette.

They had fled the DRC in 2002 due to ongoing conflicts, and lived in neighboring Burundi for a time. But even in Burundi, the family found they lacked the financial and physical security they sought.

According to Furaha, Catholic Charities volunteers met the family at the airport, and helped to connect them with housing opportunities, as well as resources through the Center for New Americans, which aided them in learning English, completing their citizenship requirements, and even getting driver’s licenses. Volunteers also connected Kagenyekero with an employment opportunity at the River Valley Co-op, where he currently works, and helped Furaha regain the nursing licensing she had in her home country, which did not transfer over to the U.S.

“Everything you need in your life, they did that for us,” said Furaha.

“We have our house here, and all our friends here,” added Divin Mwami Heri, now 12 years old.

Furaha had worked as a nurse for Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium — or the Belgian branch of Doctors Without Borders — and now works as a nursing assistant. With backing from staff at the Center for New Americans, she has gone to testify in Boston for legislation allowing for easier license transfers.

“We are still together,” Furaha said of the family’s relationship with the volunteers who helped them, whom she says are now considered family as well. “Whenever we have problems or need any help, they are there … they work so hard.”

Although the family has secured legal citizenship status, Furaha said that when she’s gotten pulled over for a minor driving infraction, she was still questioned about her citizenship. She added that staff at the Center for New Americans have told her to keep proof of citizenship on her at all times for the next four years, and to keep the phone numbers of volunteers and attorneys on hand.

“You have to have everything — identification, driver’s license, passport — on you in case,” said Furaha.

Local resettlement workers emphasized the importance of immigrants having access to information like this during the coming administration.

Joan Butler, longtime local activist and member of the Valley Interfaith Refugee Action Group, said many immigrants are detained due to driving infractions.

“Make sure your car is in working order and you obey every little rule when it comes to driving safely,” Butler cautioned.

At the Center for New Americans, Executive Director Laurie Millman said that ensuring immigrants have access to pertinent and accurate information will be critical in the next four years. Aside from cautioning immigrants against driving without licenses or calling “undue attention to themselves,” Millman also wants vulnerable populations to know that uncertain times draw out predatory actors.

“We are working with other community partners to make sure people have accurate information,” said Millman, who said that time and again, she has seen immigrants give their hard-earned money to groups or individuals who claim they can help them through the citizenship process or other forms of legal red tape, only to be left stranded.

At the International Language Institute of Massachusetts, Director of English Programs Macey Faiella said she and her colleagues have been working to ensure that clients know their rights and continue to have access to all the resources they need.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there … we want to make sure people have the correct information,” said Faiella. “Students have been concerned in the past with certain actions that may or may not put them at risk.”

For example, Faiella said that immigrants often do not claim benefits they are entitled to, because it is unclear what the consequences could be.

Community support needed

Now more than ever, local resettlement organizations are looking to community members for support in bolstering their programs.

“We as Americans do not have to just stand by idly,” said Butler, who encourages those interested in helping to find ways to volunteer.

From hosting families to teaching English, these organizations rely on the good will of community members to make comfortable lives possible here for those who are new to the country.

According to Faiella, most programs at the International Language Institute have lengthy wait lists, and additional help is always appreciated.