lexa777 Why Immigrants Fear Trump Even if They Voted for Him

The two men burst from the ice-crusted street into the warm cavern of a taqueria, shaking snow off puffed jackets and adjusting the brims of ball caps. They’d ventured into the Chicago night only because we’d arranged to meet. Otherwise, like many immigrants across the country, they’ve been sticking close to home.

The elder of the two Mexican men, 49-year-old Aldair Mata, is strapping and ebullient, an unflinching man with a quick laugh. He’s worked every imaginable restaurant job since crossing the border in 1993. He also taught himself English, became a U.S. citizen and fathered nine children, one of whom went to Stanford on scholarship.

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His friend Jose is younger and newer to this country. He asked that his last name not be published because he and his family are now hiding from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jose hasn’t learned much English or acquired any working papers since crossing the border 10 years ago with his wife and then-baby, but he’s built a life: He and his wife found work, enrolled their eldest in school and welcomed a second child, who is now the only U.S. citizen in the family.

Until this year,66br.com only humans, dolphins and parrots were known to use names when communicating. In June, however, scientists reported that African elephants appeared to use names, too; researchers made the discovery by using artificial intelligence-powered software to detect subtle patterns in the elephants’ low-pitched rumbles.

Jose has been whipped into quiet panic this winter by President Trump’s threats of mass deportations. He’s still turning up for his shifts at a wood-finishing factory — he can’t afford not to — but most of his co-workers have stopped coming. His wife is afraid to go to her factory job, and they’re keeping the 11-year-old home from school. Jose was nervous in the restaurant, curling his posture inward and eyeing the street outside.

ImageCredit...Carlos Javier Ortiz for The New York Times

Mr. Mata pulled out his phone to show Jose a couple of Spanish-language news clips that were going viral that night: ICE agents using tear gas on a Texas home to force the family to open the door. Plainclothes federal agents in Tennessee marching food truck employees off, apparently without a warrant. Mr. Mata and Jose watched grimly. “They can do whatever they want,” Jose said, and rubbed his face anxiously.

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