Formerly Undocumented NYC Congressman Says His Constituents Are ‘Terrified’

Congressman Adriano Espaillat used a meeting with Gen. John Kelly, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security—which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement—to describe the atmosphere of fear that has enveloped his district and immigrant communities nationwide. Espaillat joined colleagues in the Democratic Conference and the Congressional Hispanic Conference for a sitdown with Kelly, who has presided over the implementation of President Donald Trump’s aggressive enforcement agenda—under which any foreign national accused of any crime is vulnerable to arrest and expulsion. The freshman lawmaker‘s turf covers communities in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx home to a large number recent arrivals from Latin American nations, many like himself natives of the Dominican Republic.