Immigrants are going hungry because they're worried about being deported

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNBC


Laura Smith
38 Mins Ago


About a dozen Central American immigrants, mostly women with infants in tow, sort through crates of onions, yams, bread, and canned corn in a downtown parking lot in Oakland, California. Many of them are from Guatemala, including several wearing traditional Mayan blouses and skirts. They've gathered at this mobile food pantry because they're hungry, but they're also worried: The Trump administration's immigration crackdown has them reconsidering whether accessing social services like these could put them at greater risk of being deported.

"All the people I know are scared," says a woman holding her eight-month-old son. Some of her friends and relatives are too frightened to come to public pickup sites like this one. "Now," she adds, "they do not have enough food."

In late January, the Washington Post obtained a leaked draft executive order suggesting that the Trump administration would target noncitizen immigrants who use social services and create standards to determine "whether an alien is deportable…for having become a public charge within five years of entry."

Currently, asylum seekers and green-card holders can apply for food assistance via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps); undocumented immigrants cannot. Still, even though Trump has not signed the executive order, advocates say many authorized immigrants have preemptively canceled food benefits like SNAP—and fear that it's part of a larger retreat to avoid interacting with federal immigration officials.

Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/31/immigrants-are-going-hungry-because-theyre-worried-about-deportation.html

[Hoyt]

1. I really cannot imagine the fear they must have with callous white wingers out

to deport them.

It's time for so many changes in this country, but immigration reform and a reasonable path to citizenship, for those who have contributed here for years, is one of them. Of course, with Trump in office, I might as well be yelling "cancer ain't right." Nothing good is going to happen.

[OldHippieChick]

2. I was married to a "Hoyt" for many years -- Anyway

I have sent this to my friends who run a food pantry and do not ask about citizenship, only if you live in the area.

[murielm99]

3. A Democratic friend in a nearby community

spoke to me about going grocery shopping for undocumented people who are afraid to leave their houses. He has done some of that in his neighborhood. Maybe we could do this in our communities, too.

[tblue37]

4. Excellent idea! Like the Underground Railroad for food--a way to help those abused by a vicious

government but underground, to avoid detection.

[elmac]

5. I am prepared to give food and shelter to any family fearing deportation

they have no where to turn, many don't dare work, how can they pay rent let alone buy food?. I don't care if I'm breaking any laws or end up in prison, I will help if I find any of tRumps victims in my community. MI is deep behind the fascist enemy lines.

[KingCharlemagne]

9. +Infinity - nt

[Mc Mike]

6. The repugs love having a captive population of workers living in the shadows.

Constantly looking over their shoulders, afraid to do anything that asserts their humanity or upsets the people 'above' them in any way, kids hungry, suffering and terrorized.

The perfect blueprint for how the repugs want to treat everyone 'below' them. If they can get away with doing it to immigrants around us, it helps them to achieve their goal of expanding it to the rest of us.

[dembotoz]

7. Sounds like a good opportunity to put our actions where our politics are and help out

[KingCharlemagne]

8. USA! USA! USA! /sarcasm/ - nt

[Sunlei]

10. ICE go for the easiest catches, anywhere there is a list to work from, a gathering. Local police

Local police were executive ordered to participate and 'papers please' everyone they stop to "help ICE".

Some local police seem to enjoy stopping walkers, bike riders, cars and asking for ID of everyone. I bet they notch their belts and brag "numbers caught" to their drinking buddies.

It's not a good thing when Local communities are afraid to call their local police for help, because they're afraid of the local police. Being "afraid" to call your local police is why some city areas have very high crime rates.

In my neighborhood an elderly man who I bought homemade food from past 8 years has disappeared. His wife would cook the food and he would walk 5 miles to my house every week to deliver. He didn't show up, so I went to check on them, they're alone. Apartment manager said they both are gone, doesn't know where. Left everything in apartment. I have to assume they got swept-up in Republicans-HEARTLESS- nazi-deportation nets.