Building Bridges between Scared Immigrant Communities and Police
Immigrant communities in general have a fear of police interactions, but this fear has been heightened in the current climate of crackdowns on immigration and increased raids from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Many worried that the increase in raids and deportations would lead to a decrease in crimes reported in these communities, and recent statistics have unfortunately proven this true.
In Houston, a community dominated by Latinx immigrants, NPR reports that according to Houston Police Department data, sexual assault reports from the Latinx community dropped nearly 43 percent in the first three months of this year compared to last year. The number of Latinx-reported robberies and aggravated assaults are each down 12 percent. And Houston is not alone with this trend.
A study of hundreds of victim advocates and legal service providers in 46 states (and D.C.) finds that immigrants are afraid to call police, to press charges, or to testify at trial because ICE is making arrests at courthouses. …