Immigration is a road filled with horror, pain, and suffering. Immigration is one of the most controversial topics in the US at this moment. Immigration impacts all Americans, whether you're an immigrant or not. So how does this issue affect not only our country, but also specifically residents of the Boston area?

 As a Dominican, I am scared for myself and my hard-working community being stripped away from their everyday lives. As I write this, friends, family and strangers are suddenly being taken away from their everyday lives in ordinary places. According to Homeland Security 2.5 million people left the U.S. by December 2025, including 605,000 deportations and 1.9 million self deportation. Moreover, an important fact I think we should acknowledge is that there is more than one person to blame for the deportation numbers rather than just the US President Trump. With this saying there are various political workers who had to approve the idea of deportation other than a singular individual.

In this particular story below my close friend described a recent ICE case. It’s about a man in East Boston who was with his girlfriend at Meridian East Boston court. Sofia, my close friend, was out with her friends when they witnessed a man being taken from his daily-life in the U.S. In order to protect this man’s identity, I will refer to him as Jake. Below is Sofia’s story:

“I was walking and I heard a guy screaming for help and I was with my friends and then we looked and it was a guy on the floor and he was begging for help. He didn't have any shirt on. All [Jake] had on was a pair of shorts and he was on the floor with scratches on him and there were police cars there. 

“[Jake]'s girlfriend kept asking for help. The cops kept telling everybody to back up. Everybody started filming. We heard police coming and there were so many police guards, they didn't do anything, they were just staring at us. We couldn't even see because they kept telling us to back up.”

 “Suddenly a random car comes in, and then this guy comes out of the car and grabs [Jake] by his legs, and then another grabs his arms. They shove him in the car and take off. They also pepper sprayed his girlfriend in the face meanwhile as he was asking for help. She said that the reason that they were taking him was because they were just in the court and then as soon as he got out [of the court room], they [the ICE officers] just were right there waiting for him.” 

Jake’s life changed completely in the blink of an eye, leaving the girlfriend to endure pain and suffering. As similar stories like this continue to unfold, many people agree with this deportation, saying that immigrants should not come to the US illegally, while others fight for justice for those who have been deported. 

At the end of the day, we shall not let this situation define us, but refine us. There are many pros, cons and influences to deportation of immigrants. Although there aren't a lot of deportations in Milton specifically, the issue is closer to us than we may think, affecting everyone more than what we believe.