
Amid the flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump aiming to curtail immigration, New York City braces itself for the potential aftershocks. According to immigration experts speaking with Gothamist, these policies may deter migrants from venturing to the city, and threaten family reunification while inducing fear in immigrant communities. A national emergency has been declared at the border, moves are made to end birthright citizenship and refuges admission, and the administration pushes to be able to "promptly" deport unauthorized immigrants.
The response from local officials has been swift and critical. New York Attorney General Letitia James, alongside 17 other state attorneys general, has already filed a lawsuit against the order to terminate birthright citizenship, calling it both "dangerous" and "unconstitutional". New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also pledged to protect birthright citizenship, which she considers foundational to the American promise. Mayor Eric Adams urges undocumented New Yorkers to continue using city services, with city staffers trained to handle encounters with immigration officials, despite the looming policies designed to quickly escalate deportations and detentions.
In schools across the nation, the Trump administration's hardline stance is palpable and extensive. Parents are left grappling with the decision to even safely send their children to school. With Tuesday's announcement permitting federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, a fear has permeated immigrant communities. In an interview with AP News, Daniela Anello of D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School shared her disbelief at the policy change calling it "horrific" and outright dismissed the notion that schools are harboring criminals.
Despite assurances from educational officials in certain districts and states, many worry about the implications for their children's safety and access to basic services such as food and mental health support—which schools often provide. Carmen, a Mexican immigrant and grandmother to school-aged children, expressed this fear poignantly, noting her reliance on the school's promise to inform her if it's not safe. On the other hand, officials from Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School, serving a refugee and immigrant population, decline to share attendance specifics out of concern for becoming a target, as relayed by the school's COO, Luma Mufleh.
The impact on New York City could also reverberate through its industries relying on immigrant labor, as observed by Elora Mukherjee from Columbia Law School's immigrants' rights clinic, who communicated with Gothamist. Trump's policies may add to a decrease in migrant arrivals, further straining the city's workforce already under pressure from various immigration crackdowns in the past. Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, emphasizes the cruelty and constitutional questioning of Trump's orders, stating, "President Trump does not get to decide who is American enough to deserve U.S. citizenship."