Maribel Caraveo-Hernandez, left, talks with Gina Auz, right, at Auz's Andino Mini-Market in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe on Friday. Auz is the leader of the Latino Small Business Association and is trying to help migrants navigate the current challenges.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers use a chain to more comfortably restrain a detained person using handcuffs positioned in front on Jan. 27 in Silver Spring, Md.
Maribel Caraveo-Hernandez, left, talks with Gina Auz, right, at Auz's Andino Mini-Market in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe on Friday. Auz is the leader of the Latino Small Business Association and is trying to help migrants navigate the current challenges.
They listened closely on a recent day as Jovana Gonzà lez Montes, who teaches in Spanish, offered an anime-themed phonics lesson, but the spread of emotion among the kids was palpable, with drama arising out of small incidents.
“It’s been like this since the new administration,†said Torres, 73, speaking of Donald Trump’s presidency. “They don’t know how to deal with it.â€
Trump administration policies calling for ramped-up immigration enforcement and mass deportations — and rescinding protections from federal raids in places such as schools, churches and hospitals — has stoked fear and prompted widespread reports as well as false rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gather for a briefing before an enforcement operation Jan. 27 in Silver Spring, Md.
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Business and faith leaders, nonprofit advocacy groups, schools and state and local government officials have pushed back against the panic, offering support to people in the immigrant community, informing them of their rights and advising them how to respond if they encounter ICE agents.
Still, the first weeks of the Trump administration have caused disruptions, spurring some immigrants to hunker down in their homes in fear. The ICE crackdown also has raised concerns about the potential effects on local industries that heavily rely on an immigrant workforce if employees are deported in large numbers, leave the nation voluntarily or simply don’t show up for work to avoid being caught up in an ICE raid.
Officials at ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Public Schools — where a growing number of immigrant students who are English language learners have made up about a third of the student population in recent years, a number that likely surpasses 3,000 kids — also worry about the effects of the rumors and rhetoric on classrooms.
“ I don’t know how much parents really talk with them about calming them,†she said of anxious students, “but obviously, they come here and ... they let out.â€
There’s a multiplier effect, she noted, with kids “spreading germs the same way they spread feelings.â€
Superintendent Hilario “Larry†Chavez also sees a difference.
“There’s a lot of fear right now, and a lot of uncertainties, and it’s impacting our students,†he said.
“In addition,†Chavez said, “we’re starting to see a drop in attendance. So, I think it’s making a huge impact on our students, on our staff and on our community.â€
The district will implement counseling and restorative justice practices in schools through the Office of Student Wellness, he added.
 “The support that we need to provide our students and staff, I think we have in place. However, it doesn’t calm the fear,†Chavez said.
Leading both the market and the association is Gina Auz — but all members are equals, she said.
Andino Mini-Market, although small, has big plans. Next month it will host two “Know your Rights†workshops for immigrants in the community, one held by the ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Dreamers Project and another by the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque.
Gina Auz talks with members of the Latino community at her market, Andino Mini-Market, in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe on Friday.
Auz recently gathered with some Latino Small Business Association members at the market. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through a flood of texts from Jan. 22 and 23, messages reporting rumors of ICE raids at places such as Home Depot, Capital High School, a downtown site near the Plaza and restaurants — all unsubstantiated.
“It was a panic,†Auz said.
The hysteria led one cleaning business owner, a 25-year resident of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, to remain in her home for three days until Auz convinced her it was safe to go outside. She saw her husband deported several years ago.
“You just learn to live with them,†another woman, a 30-year panaderia owner, said of federal agents. “Learn to leave your house and always look,†she said, glancing as if she were about to cross a street.
“This is just the first week,†the woman said, referring to the Trump administration. “Imagine four more years. Right now we hear that they are focusing on people who have a criminal record. But we know that this is not true and that it is going to escalate.â€
She and the other business owners said despite paying taxes in the U.S. for decades, they have received no government aid — personally or for their business.
“Yo vivà en mi carne propia. I lived it in my own flesh,†a salon owner said, noting the lack of financial support through business closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Immigration [and Customs Enforcement] doesn’t care if you pay taxes,†she said. “They don’t care if you have a business that has been going for 18 years. They don’t care if you pay $40,000 for in vitro fertilization to have a child. What they care about is that you don’t have a document to be in this country.â€
She’s lost business already to the ICE rumors, which left her clients in fear, she said.
But she’s being strong for her child and her clients.
“I’m still going strong,†she said. “Part of what I’m doing here right now is standing up for all my clients, many of whom are in the same situation as me. The difference is that they’re kind of hiding out of fear.â€
She’s already experienced the realities of immigration enforcement.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers use a chain to more comfortably restrain a detained person using handcuffs positioned in front on Jan. 27 in Silver Spring, Md.
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Five years ago, the salon owner arrived home after dropping her son off at school to learn her husband, a 25-year resident of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, had been taken into custody by immigration officials. A year later he was deported to Mexico, where he is working and awaiting an immigration hearing for a U visa.
“My son asks me, ‘Mommy, why?’ †she said.
“It’s what breaks you every day,†she added, “that after 30 years in this country, you still don’t have an answer for your child.â€
Easing high tensions
Auz has taken to social media to help educate local immigrants about policies and their rights. She recently hosted a livestream sit-down with ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Mayor Alan Webber on a Facebook page called “Ayuda a la comunidad Atraves de la Unidad,†or “Help the Community through Unity.â€
The chat began with Auz asking Webber to pledge not to change the city’s immigrant-friendly policies.
Webber agreed. He said he is reinstating a city immigration advisory committee and presented a 2017 city resolution stating protections against discrimination on the basis of citizenship status or nationality.
Auz held up the municipal charter, or papelito, as she translated it, and said in Spanish: “·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe is a friendly city and respects the rights of immigrants of any culture, any religion and any sexual or immigrant status. That is what this paper means. What he is letting us know is that ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, the constitution of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, is well written in favor of immigrants.â€
Webber pointed out restrictions against ICE agents entering non-public spaces, and noted many public spaces that require registration, like the ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Teen Center, don’t collect citizenship data that could be reported to federal agents.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers look at the identification of a person detained Jan. 27 in Silver Spring, Md.
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
“The question I get most often,†he said, “has to do with police department, fire department, EMTs. And the answer is, none of those departments collect information about people’s citizenship status. They are not allowed to ask that question.â€
Webber didn’t comment specifically on any efforts preventing police from cooperating with ICE.
“ It is across the board bad for our country and our community if it turns into what they’re talking about, which is mass deportation,†the mayor said.
In many cases, he said, the onus isn’t on the city, but on an individual to “know their rights.â€
Auz has appeared in other videos with officials such as ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe County Commissioner Adam Johnson and City Councilor Alma Castro. Most frequently, she appears in videos on her own, with a goal of easing high tensions and furthering her “Know your Rights†mission.
“I don’t usually make many videos,†she said, “because I’m not someone who likes to be on camera. But out of necessity, and to give peace of mind to the community, I have to be online everyday to explain the law.â€
Immigrant advocacy organizations also have pitched a number of proposals they hope state lawmakers will consider during the current legislative session to increase protections for immigrants.
Aailinn Martinez, 23, the Albuquerque organizer of the New Mexico Dream Team — a group focused on Dreamers, or undocumented residents who were brought to the U.S. as children — said even those who have successfully applied for deportation protections through the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are on edge.
Her initial application, when she was 16, was delayed throughout Trump’s first administration as he tried to end the program, she said.
She called DACA a “Band-Aid that does not address the necessary changes for people like me to live in the U.S in peace — because of that constant uncertainty.â€
‘Important to have a plan’
Faith leaders and business owners in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe have been working to understand the potential ramifications of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies for their congregations and workers.
“For us, our practicing of our faith means we stand by our values, and that means hospitality and compassion and love,†said the Rev. Andrew Black, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church.
Black said he believes many of the federal policies are designed to instill fear, “but I always remind people faith is greater than fear.â€
Black and the Rev. Harry Eberts, the church’s senior pastor, wrote to Webber voicing support for the revival of the immigration committee.
The Rev. Matt Bridges, co-president of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe’s Interfaith Leadership Alliance, said he had a productive meeting with Webber about what support for immigrants could look like in the community.
“We’re making sure we’re up to date on all the available, reliable information about human rights and what it would look like if immigration officials would come to our building,†he said.
Miles Conway, executive officer of the ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Area Home Builders Association, said the worst thing builders can do is let themselves be caught flat-footed if they become the target of an immigration enforcement action.
“It’s important to have a plan,†he said. “If agents show up on your job site, what are your rights? Do they have the right to come on private property? And what does a visa program look like? What does a path to citizenship look like? These questions are definitely on the top of our minds.â€
Conway said the association is planning a meeting for its members in early March to reinforce to them what their rights are and how to help their employees or subcontractors who may be the targets of stepped-up immigration enforcement.
The homebuilding and restaurant industries likely would be the most affected by a federal immigration crackdown in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe.
Businesses are already feeling the effects of Trump’s call for heavy enforcement.
George Gundrey, the owner of Tomasita’s restaurant in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, 500 S. Guadalupe St., expressed exasperation.
“So far, absolutely nothing has happened in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, so the effect of it is basically a lot of fear,†he said, adding everyone would be better served by avoiding the temptation to traffic in rumors.
Tomasita’s has been the subject of false accounts of raids by federal agents, leading Gundrey to issue a statement last week debunking those stories.
But he acknowledged restaurants in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe would be sharply impacted by a crackdown.
“It would be devastating,†he said.
His employees have expressed a mix of deep concern and outright fear about the situation, Gundrey said, adding many of them cope with their anxiety by joking about the situation.
“The question we need to ask, the answer to which will hopefully inform policy, is how New Mexico will be able to build 35,000-plus homes needed for people in our state, now,†she wrote in an email.
The local homebuilding industry’s reliance on immigrant labor can hardly be overstated, she added.
Citing data from a 2023 report by the American Immigration Council in partnership with the city of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe’s Office of Economic Development and the advocacy group Somos Un Pueblo Unido, she said there were 11,200 foreign-born workers in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe County that year, with nearly 30% employed in homebuilding, construction and related skilled trades.
Miles Conway said the heated conversation about immigration needs to be infused with a heavy dose of practicality.
“We’re trying to be honest here,†he said. “Do we want to only see and hire people who have [legal] status? But what’s the reality, especially in light of a housing crisis?â€
Gundrey recalled there were similar fears of mass deportations during the first Trump administration, and those largely were unfounded.
Some deportations are likely to occur, he said, but he doesn’t believe they will reach a mass scale.
“It’s not going to be good, but I don’t think it’s going to be horrendous,†he said. “I don’t think half of the ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe workforce is going to be deported over the next four years.â€
Staff writers Carina Julig and Mike Easterling contributed to this report.