Immigration Enforcement and Community Safety

This week brought difficult news from two different parts of the country. In Newark, New Jersey, federal immigration agents conducted a major enforcement operation that swept through neighborhoods and workplaces. Officers arrested hundreds of people, many of whom had been living and working in the community for years. Families woke up to find loved ones missing, children came home to empty houses, and entire neighborhoods felt the impact. In Minnesota, a separate tragedy unfolded when a shooter opened fire, leaving multiple people injured and killed. The violence happened suddenly, catching people off guard and creating chaos as everyone tried to find safety.

For people with disabilities, these events create dangers that others might not think about. When immigration raids happen, a person with a disability might lose their caregiver, parent, or spouse who helps them eat, bathe, dress, or take medicine. Group homes and disability services can lose staff members overnight. People become afraid to leave their homes, missing important doctor visits, therapy appointments, or job training. Some people stop calling 911 even in emergencies because they fear immigration officers might come. During the Minnesota shooting, people with mobility disabilities couldn't run to safety. People who are Deaf or hard of hearing might not have heard warnings. People with intellectual disabilities may not have understood what was happening or what to do.

We need to help people make emergency plans that include disability needs: who will help if a caregiver is arrested? Where are safe places to go during violence? How will people get medicine if they can't leave home? We can connect families to legal help and know-your-rights training. We should push for clear, accessible emergency alerts in multiple formats. We can organize neighborhood support networks where people check on each other. Most importantly, we need to remind everyone that people with disabilities have the same right to safety, family, and community as everyone else. In scary times, our job is to make sure the most vulnerable people are protected, informed, and never forgotten.