Read this story in Spanish.
Cleveland Since President Donald Trump took office for the second time last week, Marisol is aware that many parents in Colony Ridge are afraid of law enforcement and worried about being deported. The 28-year-old woman recently started crying when she thought back to a question her kid asked her in second grade.
“Why doesn’t Donald Trump like Hispanic people?” he asked me. Marisol, who was sitting in the pickup line outside Cottonwood Elementary on Monday, said in a broken voice, “I don’t have answers for that.”
Don’t miss the next big story
To receive the stories you need about the city you love every weekday morning, sign up for The Launchpad.
Residents of the mostly Latino neighborhood of Colony Ridge, located roughly 40 miles northeast of Houston, have been feeling more tense throughout the first week of the second Trump administration.
Although there have been few documented incidents of immigration arrests in the area, images and videos of law enforcement agents appearing to be involved in immigration enforcement have flooded Facebook groups, raising concerns that a more extensive crackdown may be in the works.
USE CAUTION!! One reader wrote in Spanish and included a video of multiple unmarked black SUVs parked adjacent to the elementary school, stating that Immigration (ICE) is located in Colony Ridge near to Cottonwood [Elementary] in Santa Fe 1.
When county sheriff’s deputies stopped a Cleveland Independent School District school bus on Monday, those worries were heightened. A video of the traffic stop immediately went viral among local Facebook groups, even though the school district later explained in a statement to The Landing that two students were arrested because of a disciplinary issue.
People say, “Oh, ICE is right there,” when they notice police officers in the Facebook groups. Marisol referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and stated, “Well, they’re scared, so of course, they say, I’ve seen them, even though sometimes it’s just the police officer may be doing their job.” Fearing retaliation against her family, the mother of two requested to be recognized only by her first name.
We re not doing sweeps, ICE official says
Tens of thousands of people live in the 33,000-acre Colony Ridge, many of whom, according to county officials, are either undocumented immigrants or do not have permanent residency.Some Texas Republicans and conservative media have characterized the ten-year-old development as an example of unfettered immigration for the majority of the last two years.
Many are concerned that Colony Ridge may be a prime target in Trump’s pledge to carry out the biggest mass deportation operation in American history. These fears have only grown since last week’s inauguration due to the dearth of specific information and sporadic reports of immigration enforcement operations.
Although it did not identify the source, the Liberty Vindicator, the county’s main newspaper, said on Friday that an ICE sweep had led to the arrest of numerous individuals with felony warrants who were allegedly in the country illegally.
Federal agencies carried out immigration enforcement operations in a number of Texas towns on Sunday, including San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Federal officials did not, however, elaborate on the scope of the operations.
ICE’s Enforcement Removal Operations office in Houston said that, in cooperation with Homeland Security and Drug Enforcement Administration personnel, it had carried out more intensive targeted operations. The wording was similar to what ICE had used in an earlier announcement regarding weekend immigration crackdowns in Chicago, which shares Houston’s high immigrant population.
The expanded target operations carried out over the weekend were standard and not a result of a recent Trump administration plan or instruction, a Houston ICE officer told The Landing.
The official stated, “We’re not doing sweeps or anything like that.”
The official said that everyone had been subject to a final order of deportation or removal, although he would not say how many people were arrested. The officer did not answer requests for comment when asked if there had been any immigration enforcement activities in Colony Ridge, referring the matter to the agency’s main office.
On Monday, it was unknown how many people had been arrested in Colony Ridge for immigration-related charges in recent days. Jay Knight, the county judge, stated that although he was aware of one arrest, federal officials had not informed him of their actions.
I didn’t learn anything from them. “That happened, and I was as surprised as anyone else,” he remarked.
It appears that local police enforcement is helping federal immigration officers in a number of recent images and videos that have been making the rounds on private Facebook groups.
The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy, William Knox, stated that he thought the recent arrests were just regular ICE operations that had gained more attention as worries about potential raids grew.
Up there, the federal government has been making warrant arrests for many years. He stated that they are not doing anything novel, but rather what they have always done.
A community on edge
Although law enforcement officials claim that the arrests made last weekend were normal, residents of Colony Ridge are interviewed and show a tense neighborhood that is growing more and more afraid of becoming entangled in any immigration sweep. Local businesses are already feeling the effects, and some people are staying at home.
According to Susana Cazares, proprietor of Leo’s Beer Barn, which is situated in the Montebello community on the intersection of County Road 5000, business has decreased by 30% in recent days. She ascribes the drop to residents’ concerns about being detained and the necessity of saving money for future immigration hearings.
According to the people we speak with, they should spend as little money as possible in order to save money for unforeseen circumstances, Cazares stated.
There have been reports of raids throughout Colony Ridge, according to Irina Concepcion. Because of their legal situation, she isn’t directly worried about her family, but she is worried about the wider effects on the community.
“Home Depot is where I work,” Concepcion remarked. Additionally, there have been a lot fewer customers than usual; I’m not sure if this is related to this or not. A lot of Hispanics go there and there s been a lot less.
Nora, a mother of three, said the rumors of potential large-scale immigration raids have heightened her anxiety about her family s safety, given their mixed immigration status.
My husband is the one that works outside the home every day and we are always worried about something happening, she said.
The move to Colony Ridge from Mexico about a year ago meant owning a home, but it also meant leaving behind a close-knit circle of friends and family.
We don t yet have trusted neighbors or anyone we know that would help us with the kids in case something happens, said Nora, who requested that she be identified by her first name only because of immigration concerns. Thus, we are afraid just because of our children.
In its report, the Vindicator said Cleveland ISD had recently experienced attendance declines, but the school district did not provide Houston Landing with attendance figures.
The state’s fastest-growing school district highlighted its dedication to creating a secure, friendly, and inclusive environment in a statement in response to inquiries about the Trump administration’s decision to revoke a policy that prohibited federal immigration officials from making arrests in sensitive places like churches and schools.
While specific details of federal enforcement actions remain unclear, the district wants to reassure families that our priority will always be to act in the best interest of students while complying with the law, the statement read. We encourage families to communicate openly with the district if they have concerns or need guidance.
Eddie Conger, superintendent of theInternational Leadership of Texas, confirmed a slight drop in attendance across the three campuses within Colony Ridge. In an interview, he emphasized that immigration authorities had not visited any of the schools, adding that the charter school district does not collect immigration status information from its students.
I m trying to get the information out. People see things and immediately jump to a conclusion that s fear-based, Conger said. We all need to take a deep breath and make sure that we have the information right and then try to just take care of each other.
Advocates advise immigrants to stay vigilant
Jennefer Canales-Pelaez, a Houston-based Texas policy attorney and strategist for the immigrant rights nonprofitImmigrant Legal Resource Center, is critical of what she sees as fragmented information from ICE. She described the publicity surrounding recent arrests in Texas cities and across the country as a dog and pony show.
This is just week one. I think that for the next few weeks, we might continue seeing these little spurts of activity jumping up here and there under the guise that they re only going after the quote-unquote criminals .
Canales-Pelaez urged immigrant communities to resist living in fear but to remain vigilant. She advised them to stay aware of ICE activity in their neighborhoods,know their rightsif federal officials come to their door, and have a plan in case they are detained. If ICE does not have a warrant, they cannot enter a home or private property, so people are not required to open the door, she said.
Folks should keep living their lives because this is part of what they want. They want us to live in fear, Canales-Pelaez said. So number one, I think it s important for folks to continue living their lives, but to stay vigilant.
For now, Marisol plans to keep a low profile. In the five years since she and her family moved to the Sante Fe subdivision of Colony Ridge, life has been relatively peaceful. But since Trump s election, she says, racist rhetoric has escalated.
You hear gunshots (in the development), loud music and I guess that s where the racism comes in and they think every Hispanic is like that, she said, wiping away tears that had fogged her glasses. You know, we re not all like that.
Criminals come in all races and colors, she added. It s just difficult.
Republish This Story
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
Republish this article
This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
