As ICE Raids Target Rural New York, Immigrants Face Isolation and Fear to Access Essential Services

Three students and their mother who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are set to return home to Jefferson County, New York, according to local officials.

On March 27, three students, including a third grader, and their mother were detained by ICE agents in Jefferson County following an investigation at a farm in Sackets Harbor, New York, about 10 miles from Watertown near Lake Ontario.

As ICE raids target rural communities in New York, immigration advocates say that rural immigrants face growing isolation and fear to access essential services.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Juana Cortes de Torres, Director of the Immigrant Legal Rights Project at the Rural and Migrant Ministry, about what residents should know when interacting with immigration agents.

Photo Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement