The fear and anxiety that swelled within the Brazilian population on the Island after masked federal agents raided Martha’s Vineyard last spring is on the rise again, this time following statements from federal immigration officials that they are targeting Massachusetts a second time to deport immigrants. There are also reports that enrollment of new immigrant students on Island is down this school year.
As has been widely reported by the New York Times and the Boston Globe, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons announced “Patriot 2.0” on Saturday, which is expected to last the next several weeks. It’s unclear how many people ICE would attempt to apprehend or whom, nor have there been indications that the Island would be targeted. But it’s having an impact locally.
“People are getting scared again.” said Ricardo Duarte, pastor at Lagoinha Martha’s Vineyard Church, on Tuesday. “Every move [ICE] makes, it’s an emotional roller coaster.”
Federal officials’ announcement of the renewed focus on Massachusetts follows raids in May, when ICE agents reportedly detained some 1,500 people across the state, including 40 people on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
This week, speculation that ICE agents were on the Island stirred up more fear within the Vineyard Brazilian community; The MV Times did not verify if agents were actually here, and law enforcement and others in the community reported that ICE was not here on Monday or Tuesday. But church pastors and others in the community say that some immigrants have been staying home from work or church, worried that they would be swept up in any potential raid.
Duarte said that about 30 percent of his congregation stopped attending services after the ICE raids last spring, but families were starting to trickle back to services over the summer. He worries that with the recent rumors and statements from top federal officials, many will again stay home with more frequency. Even smaller gatherings at individual homes, he said, some have feared attending.
“They don’t know what to do, because we don’t know what ICE is going to do,” Duarte said, noting that he has struggled with what to tell his congregants. “They said they were going after criminals last time, but this is not what happened.” Duarte referred to the statement from ICE officials in May that they would be targeting immigrants with criminal backgrounds, but reporting by The MV Times indicates that several of those detained did not have criminal backgrounds; Duarte said that his congregation also helped the family of a man that was detained who did not have a criminal history.
Meanwhile, reports from teachers and other officials at the beginning of school indicate that there is a decline in new immigrant students to the Island, likely because of new policies and tactics initiated by the Trump administration.
“Overall there is a feeling of insecurity,” said Carlos Trindade, a World Languages and ELL teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. “People are just not sure what is going to happen. Things are just so unpredictable.”
Superintendent of public schools Richie Smith said that his administration is compiling a study to find the number of new immigrant students across the district, which has yet to be finalized. But some English language learner teachers reached by The Times say that this year has been a stark contrast to prior years.
Smith said that MVRHS saw a large spike in new students after the country opened back up after the COVID pandemic. He said the high school population rose from roughly 690 kids to roughly 770 students three years ago. Over the last few years since the spike, new ELL student enrollment has trended down.
At the very beginning of this year, teachers have reported fewer, if any, new students. High school principal Sean Mulvey said they are still looking to finalize enrollment, but he said that the number of new immigrant students has been changing daily, with the school receiving enrollment requests at the end of last week.
Laura Weisman, an interpreter at the Tisbury School, has also said they have seen fewer, if any, new ELL students. She believes that immigrants are being discouraged from and are having a harder time getting into the country. “People are afraid and scared,” she said. “I think it is making a big difference.”
She said that it is sad to see that the school is losing enthusiastic and curious students who come from humble beginnings and are eager to learn English and the culture. “Even though it is a hard position, most of our students are hopeful for a new place,” Weisman said. “They are thrilled with all our school has to offer. We lose all of that enthusiasm.”
Liana Cajado, who runs M.V. Tax Services in Edgartown and who advises Brazilians on immigration documentation, has seen an intense rise in anxiety over the last few days within the community, similar to what was experienced during the raid in May. Herself a Brazilian national, Cajado said that her office has been receiving a flood of calls and texts from immigrants asking what they can do. She said her team tries to give their clients emotional support, to help them stay calm, but she worries about their mental health.
She also advises that immigrants have all of their documentation in order, and if they have kids, sign a consent form available at her office and Island schools that provides a plan for children if their parents are detained by ICE agents. She said leaving a child behind is a common fear among families in the community, but the consent form will allow someone to look after the child.
Cajado said that she has heard from many families that are planning a return trip to their country of birth.
“There is panic,” Cajado noted. “There’s an emotional toll.”
Enlighten me. Why would someone who hasn’t broken the law be afraid of law enforcement?
Because ice is using racial profiling to stop people.
If you “look” Latino, expect to get stopped and questioned, even arrested, for how you look.
https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/utah-student-arrested-by-ice-in-colorado-released-after-nightmare-15-day-detention/
https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2025-07-02/centennial-park-ice-raid-santa-ana
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/maga-couple-regrets-trump-vote-164018024.html
The penalty for the broken law should have some bearing on the severity of the crime. An otherwise law abiding citizen does not expect to be thrown in jail for breaking the law for speeding.
The short answer to your question is that people are afraid because law enforcement is not following the law. Just to enlighten you, there are laws governing law enforcement.. Can we agree with that statement? The federal agents , whoever they are , are not following the law when they invade a community. THEY are breaking the law. Stopping vehicles because the people inside look Hispanic and smashing their windows and dragging them out of their vehicles is illegal. Denying people due process is illegal. Not allowing lawyers or family members to speak to or know where they are is illegal. In short, everyone should be afraid of “law enforcement” when they aren’t following the law. Think about all the lynching by law enforcement in the south of people who they deemed “guilty” and didn’t really need a trial. We have many historical examples where the powers that were in charge disregarded the laws that constrained them and abused their power, it doesn’t happen at once– it is a slippery slope– if they can pull over a work van because a Brazilian person is driving it today, It sets the stage for tomorrow to pull anyone over. We should all be afraid.
Would love to hear some facts backing up your statements.
John–What part of my comment do you disagree with ? Racial profiling ? due process . But ok– https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/06/02/ice-arrested-nearly-1500-illegal-aliens-in-massachusetts-last-month/
We were told during the campaign that trump would deport millions of immigrants. Yet, many people still voted for this lawlessness.
ICE has a 4-year budget of $171 BILLION! That’s a staggering sum! There are plans to hire 10,000 MORE Ice agents. What for?!?! Ice agents will be used against Americans (against our Constitution)!!
How will we stop the trump administration?
Religious people have a duty to protect their neighbors, not engage in sending their neighbors to concentration camps.
Vote against the republican lawlessness.
Ms Hansen this is unnecessary hyperbole. Once again you are trying to make a point by an exception. Sometimes ICE will get it wrong and then they release. I have been stopped by police and then released and I dont get upset about it. MV people have nothing to worry about. Criminals do. Hardworking Brazilians here legally are going to be just fine and others not well documented are likely to be fine also. Concentration camps? Really?
Elections have consequences. To paraphrase a comedian who will go unnamed, “You vote for Trump, you get Trump”. Were I a Liberal Democrat (I’m a moderate independent), I would be heck-bent on fielding a candidate for 2028 who can inspire the electorate with their stirring vision. In my lifetime only 2 have done that- Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The rest (Carter in 1980, Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Harris) have not. Every second fuming about Trump doing exactly what he promised and not focusing on 2028 is a waste. From what I’ve seen of the 2028 roster so far, it looks like the Democrats are setting up more grass for the Republican lawnmower.
Enforcement of the law is lawlessness?
It’s not when law enforcement officers are following the law.
It is when the law enforcement officers are breaking a law while enforcing a law.
If you are clocked doing 50 in a 40 zone, and the police officer decides to shoot your tires out rather than turn on the lights, that is lawlessness on the part of the officer while enforcing the law.
It’s not really that difficult to understand.
Lawlessness: when masked goons arrest you in a surprise attack and send you to a foreign prison with no opportunity to talk to a lawyer.
Concentration camps are places where political prisoners or minorities— people—are gathered in a place waiting for expulsion. It also isn’t enforcement of the law to arrest people who are in a legal immigration process. It isn’t enforcement of the law to suddenly change the law with no warning and people who are/were here legally lose their legal status.
When someone glibly says that immigrants have nothing to worry about, they obviously haven’t talked to the tens of thousands of families already affected by our violent immigration policies.
Being undocumented is a civil offense( federal ), not a criminal offense.
They have arrested and detained Properly documented individuals And many are still in custody. Many are going to immigration hearings and following the law and arresting them as soon as they come out of the courtroom or as they go in the building the judges are even dismissing the cases so that they can arrest them. Citizens are being arrested and detained Sometimes For quite a length of time. They arresting people with work pc and green cards. I could go on but if you’re willing to do some research online And use a variety of resources so that you’re getting a more balanced report you will read it for yourselves…. If I’m not mistaken you don’t get arrested for civil offenses….. And many many many have been arrested that are not criminals the majority of them…..
Your masked goons are legitimate officers of the law with wives and families and they are masked due to being attacked in the streets and threatened. There are no concentration camps and there are no tens of thousands of families affected by violence. No laws were changed, ICE is arresting illegal immigrants, sorting them out and sending them back to their own country. Your assertions are without merit. As for sending to a foreign prison, one individual Abrego Garcia was sent to El Salvador and is back here again. He is a bad dude on many levels. We will send him to small country in Africa where he wont indulge in human trafficking drugs and wife beating.
We sent a couple hundred people to El Salvador…..he’s just the only one thats been released. The rest of them are going to be locked away for life. No one gets released from that prison.
What is so hard to grasp. The law is black and white. Clear as day. LEGAL immigrants have nothing to worry about. And as a matter of fact o ur governed who is harboring these people is breaking the law; below are the penalties she should be facing.
Title 8 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), Chapter 12
Criminalizes entering or attempting to enter the U.S. at an improper time or place, evading inspection, or using false representations to gain entry.
8 U.S.C. § 1324 – Bringing In and Harboring Certain Aliens** (INA § 274):
– **Description**: Prohibits smuggling, transporting, or harboring undocumented aliens, or inducing their illegal entry.
– **Penalties**:
– Fines and/or imprisonment up to 7 years per alien involved.
– Up to life imprisonment or death penalty if the act results in death.
How many felonies does trump have?
Black and white.
Clear as day.
He’s a criminal.
Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records in the New York hush money case were politically motivated, as the charges hinged on a novel legal theory that elevated misdemeanor bookkeeping errors to felonies by linking them to an alleged intent to violate election laws, which some consider a stretch. The case relied heavily on the testimony of Michael Cohen, a disbarred lawyer with a history of perjury, undermining its credibility in the eyes of Trump’s supporters. Additionally, the timing of the prosecution and the decision to pursue the case after years of delay were seen by some as an attempt to target Trump politically rather than address a clear criminal act.
34 bogus felonies pushed through by a corrupt DA and his sentence was an unconditional release meaning no jail time or penalties.
ICE is here whether you like it or not and there’s nothing you can do about it. They’re going to do their job. Maybe our “fearless” governor should start cooperating and stop harboring. She’s only making this worse.
You seem so sure that trump’s harsh policies will never impact you.
How many people have been deported?
How many of those tens of thousands of people helped put food on our tables?
How many of those tens of thousands of people were peaceful and hardworking?
Please stop the madness of the republican party.
Andrew Engelman, curious why you assume the “legitimate officers of the law with wives and families” are limited to men and women with wives? Are you assuming ICE agents are all male? If that is your assumption you are wrong.