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{shortcode-94eb72a004011d7c49a15590d1d8fe33fbc5a9e2}ormally a quiet patch of grass lodged between a synagogue, senior center, and the local library, Brighton Common comes alive each Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of locals flock to the park to buy produce and catch up with their neighbors at the Brighton Farmers Market.
There, life-long residents mix with more recent arrivals who speak a range of Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese. Local farms sell produce next to progressive neighborhood organizations handing out food coupons and live bands hired by the Harvard Ed Portal.
But in spite of the market’s popularity, attendance has been flagging under President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants.
Ever since ICE presence increased in the neighborhood after the announcement of Operation Patriot late May, and then again with the launch of “Patriot 2.0” this fall, vendors said they have seen fewer Spanish and Portuguese-speaking customers.
The market has reported an average of 16 percent fewer customers per week compared to 2024, when roughly a thousand customers visited each Wednesday.
It isn’t just the farmers market that has seen declining attendance — community service providers from the adult education program at the Jackson-Mann Community Center and the Charles River Community Health Center reported an uptick in no-shows for classes and appointments since Operation Patriot launched in May.
Service providers attribute the decrease in attendance of events at public centers, like the farmers market and the health center, to fear of unexpected encounters with immigration enforcement, which has struck Latino populations especially hard, and often in public spaces like outside school drop-off.
“We have families that have let us know that they are worried about coming to the market because of all of the anti-immigrant and deportation fears that are happening now,” Bianca Bowman, who coordinates the market, said.
She said that even immigrants with legal status feel threatened — and have been wrongfully detained.
“There’s a lot of fear definitely going on in our neighborhood,” Bowman said.
‘Our Kids are Living Off of Fear’
As ICE presence increased first in May and then again in September, neighborhood organizations swiftly responded — like the Brazilian’s Women Group in Brighton, which created a support group for the families of detained immigrants, a new Portuguese hotline for immigration concerns, and assistance for those who want to self-deport.
Heloisa M. Galvão, who runs BWG, said that as ICE continues its deportation campaign — including in Allston-Brighton — more Brazilian residents have turned to her for support, and some have determined that returning to Brazil may be a safer option than remaining in Boston.
“They go back out of this fear. They are really in panic of being arrested, being separated from their kids, or because the husband has already been deported,” Galvão said. Her new help hotline receives more than 3,000 phone calls per month.
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BWG serves the largest immigrant group in Allston-Brighton, where 28 percent of residents were born outside the U.S. The neighborhood has long been a landing pad for Brazilians coming to the States, with many forced to live in overcrowded apartments amid the regional housing crisis.
Lucimara Rodrigues, a worker at the Brazilian Women’s Group who runs a co-op for immigrant housekeepers, said in an interview conducted with an interpreter that immigrants in Allston-Brighton now believe they are in danger of being taken by ICE in any public space.
“Here in the United States, there’s no place that’s safe right now. The schools are not safe. The hospitals are not safe. Even the children, the young children, know that there’s no place that’s safe,” she said in Portuguese.
“If you’re not an American here for more than one generation, you are not safe,” she added.
Although anti-immigrant rhetoric did not start in Trump’s second presidency, Rodrigues said, the scale of fear is far greater this time around.
Even children “go to school scared,” she said.
Jo-Ann Barbour, executive director of the Charlesview Residences, said that up to 25 percent fewer people have enrolled in adult education classes at the Jackson-Mann Community Center, which offers English classes.
The Jackson-Mann has seen fewer children sign up for its afterschool programming, too. Its administrative coordinator, Rosie C. Hanlon, said that ICE activity is “breeding a different type of kid right now,” with not only parents who are afraid of enforcement officers, but their children, too.
“Many parents are afraid to let their children walk down the street, outside of their doors,” she said.
“We had a child who was coming to sign up for a soccer game, who was afraid to give his name. How sick is that? These are kids,” she added. “Our kids are living off of fear.”
Matthew “Matt” J. Mullaney ’92, the CEO of Charles River Community Health Center in Brighton, said that health center saw a 40 percent increase in no-show doctor’s appointments beginning in April.
“A typical month for us might be 5,000 completed visits, and our visits in May and June were around 4,500,” Mullaney said.
According to Mullaney, as many as half the Health Center’s patients are immigrants, and the increase in no-show appointments correlates closely with reported ICE presence in the neighborhood.
‘No Idea Who They Are’
Galvão and Rodrigues said ICE agents operating in plainclothes sometimes driving unmarked cars have made it difficult to determine when Allston-Brighton residents are taken by immigration enforcement officers, according to Galvão and Rodrigues.
“You have to guess,” Galvão said. “You don't know what happened.”
Rodrigues said that when a friend of hers was detained in June, she only found out when he called her from a New York facility.
“What he told us is that ICE got to his house, and asked if he was the person. He said he wasn’t, he presented his drivers license, but because of his immigration status, they took him,” she said.
Immigrants she has spoken to on the hotline have often reported agents wearing vests, but without clear “ICE” markings, she said.
That problem has become a frequent talking point at city council meetings, and even came up in a recent candidates’ forum for Allston-Brighton’s seat on the Boston City Council.
At the forum, which was held last Monday, current councilor Elizabeth “Liz” A. Breadon called it “very distressing” that ICE agents have been seen wearing masks while working, and that residents have “no idea who they are.”
“It could be just copycats — people lifting people off the street,” Breadon added.
‘We Don’t Turn Our Backs’
Despite the stress of the moment, Rodrigues and Galvão remained determined to continue their work supporting the neighborhood’s vulnerable.
“I tell people, what protects us is to be informed about our rights — to know what to do if a situation arise, and to have a plan,” Galvão said.
“I have to have a friend who knows where my documents are, or have access to my banking account, or somebody who take care of my children,” Galvão added.
Rodrigues said providing a sense of unity in a moment when many feel more isolated and trapped inside is key.
“I always try to tell them that they’re not alone, and that we’re all in the same boat. If you feel that you’re alone it’s even harder to deal with your situation,” Rodrigues said.
According to Bowman, the market coordinator, some residents have stepped in to deliver groceries to immigrants scared to leave the house, while others have offered more support to food pantries.
Still, strategies remain scattered, and aid organizations are always on the hunt for more funds and volunteers.
“People are hodge-podge putting things together, day by day, week by week,” Bowman said.
“I just wish people understand how grave the situation is and how much we need help from American-born citizens,” Galvão said.
Hanlon, of the Jackson-Mann, said her organization remained resolute as well.
“We have to stay strong and continue with our support, let people know there is support out there. The Jackson-Mann Community Center is there to serve all people. We don’t turn our backs,” Hanlon said.
—Staff writer Angelina J. Parker can be reached at angelina.parker@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @angelinajparker.
—Staff writer Emily T. Schwartz can be reached at emily.schwartz@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @EmilySchwartz37.
—Nathalie Milbradt contributed translation for this story.
