Where Trump won in NYC, residents allay immigrants’ fears
NEW YORK — They get together to make dinners. They teach one another English and Spanish. They exchange phone numbers for a day they hope will never come.
Since Donald Trump’s election as president, about 30 New York City residents have met regularly with dozens of Latino immigrants living in the country illegally, offering them their help and, in some cases, their homes. Many say that if the immigrants are detained or deported, they would be willing to take in their children.
“I have enough space,” said Ruth Silverberg, a college professor who shares a two-bedroom apartment in Staten Island with her grown son. “I may not have a lot of walls, but I can go buy one of those Ikea partition things and I can manage to find space on my floor for up to 10 people.”
While churches and other organizations have long stepped in to assist immigrants under threat of deportation, this effort is notable because it is led by ordinary citizens, mostly from Staten Island, New York City’s most conservative borough and the only one that voted for Trump. Those involved say it’s a chance to put their beliefs into action, ease their neighbours’ fears and show them they have allies.