Overview:
-ICE activity disrupts daily life, causes older Latinos to avoid essential services, says LA SED's Guadalupe Lara.
-LA SED Senior Center's offerings include meditation groups and exercise sessions, Lara says.
-“I don’t go out, there I am stuck at home,” says a 79-year-old from Mexico who wishes to remain anonymous.
This story is republished courtesy of EL CENTRAL Hispanic News.
On a Friday morning in Southwest Detroit, about 15 older residents gathered for a hot lunch at the Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LA SED) Senior Center, a welcoming space where older adults gather for social activities and wellness programs in the heart of the Mexican community. But in recent months, a surge in immigration deportations has unsettled that sense of safety, leaving many older Latinos living in fear.
“I’ve seen personality changes, behavior, and complaints of no sleep,” said Guadalupe Lara, director of LA SED Senior Wellness Programs. “But we encourage the ones that still come. It certainly affected everybody at the center.”
Lara said she noticed the behavioral changes after President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders immediately following his inauguration in January. This included one on Enhanced Immigration Enforcement, fulfilling his campaign promise to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers across the U.S. to increase deportations in immigrant communities.
Southwest Detroit is home to the largest Latino immigrant community in Michigan. Its commercial corridors are lined with street vendors selling tacos, elotes, and churros. Local restaurants, supermercados, and bakeries serve as essential resources for multigenerational families who rely on them for daily needs.
When ICE officers began patrolling neighborhoods and staking out schools and gas stations where workers gather to carpool, they sparked a climate of unease and anxiety.
News of arrests spread throughout the community. Days after, this normally bustling neighborhood became strangely quiet. People stopped going out.
MORE REPORTING FROM PLANET DETROIT
Café y Chisme No. 5: How Andrea Meza amplifies Detroit’s community voices
Andrea Meza, a journalist and caseworker, is reclaiming narratives in Detroit by spotlighting water infrastructure failures and the cultural richness of lowrider communities. Her work advocates for inclusive journalism that truly reflects the voices of the community.
Toxic tour in Southwest Detroit: Cristo Rey students explore environmental justice through art
Students tour Southwest Detroit, Ecorse, and River Rouge with environmental activist to document and analyze challenges that include pollution from industrial sources like Marathon Petroleum Corp. and U.S. Steel.
Southwest Detroit residents take stand against ICE crackdown: ‘Our presence enriches this country’
Tuesday’s rally demands dignity for immigrant families while providing protection strategies and mutual aid resources.
How ICE activity affects older people
While stories about workers being picked up made headlines, reporting or public conversations that centered on older community members were sparse when it came to ICE.
Dr. William Lopez is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the author of “Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid.”
“Older adults in communities are often taken care of by their family members. When those family members are worried about driving or worried about showing identification at places like a pharmacy, when they’re going to fill a prescription, that also impacts the health of those older adults,” Lopez said.
ICE arrests disrupt the whole family unit, often leaving older family members emotionally and financially destabilized. Some older adults are living in the country without legal permission themselves, often after living in the U.S. for decades. Despite having built full lives here, many lack legal protections and face the risk of deportation.
“I don’t go out, there I am stuck at home,” said a 79-year-old from Mexico who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear. “I hear about the arrests on Facebook.”
An increase in ICE activity has led many immigrants to avoid essential medical care and grocery shopping. Unnecessary outings are not prioritized.
Older adults already vulnerable to age-related health concerns are now at an even greater risk due to the anxiety and depression caused by social withdrawal from staying home to avoid coming face-to-face with ICE patrols.
Prolonged loneliness and lack of social engagement in older adults are linked to higher risks of cognitive decline, heart disease, and premature death, according to the National Institute on Aging.
‘There’s a strong sense of family here’
LA SED’s Lara says she is so concerned about the effects of isolation that she has offered to provide transportation and personally pick up seniors at home and bring them to the center.
“I have witnessed a tremendous cloud of gloom on this community,” she said. “One of the most important things to do to feel good about yourself physically is social connections.”
As a way to address isolation, the senior center has had to pivot in its approach. Days that were once filled with dominoes and loteria now incorporate wellness checks.
“I’m the licensed social worker here, and I lead what we call meditation groups,” Lara said. “We also offer exercise sessions, which have been really helpful. I think we’re managing — and they’re managing — because there’s a strong sense of family here. We provide a lot of emotional support.”
Estefania Arellano-Bermudez is a Latina freelance writer living in metro Detroit. She is a regular contributor to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News and a member of Planet Detroit’s Neighborhood Reporting Lab.
This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations, and The Commonwealth Fund.
EL CENTRAL Hispanic News is partially funded by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at www.pressforward.news