Last week, Martha’s Vineyard was coming off Memorial Day weekend, gearing up for another busy summer season. Then, on Tuesday, more than a dozen federal officers came to the Island to arrest alleged undocumented immigrants, sparking an undercurrent of alarm in the large Brazilian immigrant population that calls the Vineyard home. 

After the arrest of about 40 people between the Vineyard and Nantucket by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), several Island immigrants said members of their community are full of fear, and, whether they have the proper documentation or not, some are opting to stay home instead of going to work and school. 

“On Tuesday, when this started, people went home,” said Valmir Rodrigues, a Brazilian immigrant who now works as a tax preparer in Vineyard Haven. “On Wednesday, nobody went into the streets.” 

Eateries closed, appointments were cancelled, Brazilian churches decided to forgo services, and people hid out on farms.

“Even the people who are documented here, with a green card, are very scared,” Mr. Rodrigues, who previously worked as an attorney in Sao Paulo, said.

Vilmar Rodrigues said many immigrants are opting to stay home.

Ray Ewing

Vilmar Rodrigues said many immigrants are opting to stay home.

Ray Ewing

For pastor Ricardo Duarte, who wants to try and comfort his congregation, the situation has been especially frustrating. Pastor Duarte is the head of the Lagoinha Church in Vineyard Haven.

With immigrants worried about leaving their homes, he cancelled church services during the week.

“You want to help people spiritually, but we don’t want to put people at risk,” he said. “It’s sad in that way. The time that the people need the help the most, you can’t provide because they don’t want to come out.”

Pastor Duarte questioned some of the constitutionality of ICE’s arrests across the country, pointing to instances where courts have said that the federal government has improperly deported people.

In the past, ICE agents have seemed to come to the Island with a target in mind, arresting someone who is wanted for crimes. Pastor Duarte said he and several others saw last week’s arrests as a shift in tactics, where federal agents pulled over work vans and questioned drivers about their immigration status. 

“The way ICE is operating is bringing terror and panic to everyone,” he said. 

While some have wondered if the Vineyard — a favored vacation destination for many high-ranking Democrats — was targeted for political reasons, President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan denied the theory when talking to reporters at the White House on Thursday.

“Martha’s Vineyard isn’t off the table, it’s part of the country,” he said. “We are doing immigration enforcement actions all throughout the country. We are not saying we’re going to favor one area over another. We’re all over the country, in every neighborhood, in every city.” 

Mr. Homan also said that Homeland Security plans to ramp up immigration enforcement, as well, with an eye on job sites across the country. 

“You’re going to see more teams on the street than you’ve ever seen before; you’re going to see more work site enforcement than you’ve ever seen in the history of this nation,” he said.  

Federal agents head into the Menemsha Coast Guard station.

Ethan Genter

Federal agents head into the Menemsha Coast Guard station.

Ethan Genter

ICE has not released a list of the people arrested on the Vineyard, though it said many of the people taken into custody had criminal records, including a man who had been charged with child rape.

Mr. Rodrigues and Pastor Duarte said they each knew of someone who was taken into custody. Both declined to give the names of the individuals, but Mr. Rodrigues said most of the detainees were taken to a detention center in Plymouth. 

The climate of concern can be especially hard on the children of immigrants, even if they were born in the country and are American citizens, said Paula Reidbord, a Brazilian immigrant who moved to the U.S. more than 30 years ago and now works at MV Mediation.

The Island schools have many children of immigrants — about 30 per cent of public school students speak Portuguese at home.

Ms. Reidbord has heard from parents who say their children are worried about their parents being taken. 

“To have this kind of  fear for no justifiable reason is upsetting,” she said.

Worries about immigrants’ safety also prompted MV Mediation to postpone Brazil Fest, a cultural event that was supposed to take place at the Agricultural Hall last weekend. Organizers felt that the Island’s Brazilian residents would be unlikely to attend so soon after the ICE raids.

“This was supposed to be a festive celebration at the start of the season and now it’s a gloomy feeling,” Ms. Reidbord said. 

If fear continues to keep people at home, it could end up hurting the Island’s construction and tourism industries, both of which rely heavily on immigrant labor.  

“We’re just starting the summer season and there is an influx of immigrants from all over the world coming to Martha’s Vineyard,” Ms. Reidbord said. “The community welcomes them and relies on them.” 

As the Brazilian community tries to settle back into a routine, Pastor Duarte said he will continue to advise his congregants to obey the law, and stay out of trouble as best they can.

“We are here to help, but we think at this point, there’s not much we can do other than pray,” he said.