A lie posted to Facebook that sparked fear and left shops and stores unusually quiet Friday. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The sight of a Fair Haven First Aid Squad crew sparked panic in Red Bank this week when EMTs responded to a call and someone mistook their green and white trucks for similar-colored ones used by US Customs and Border Protection.
The pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church was forced to send out a message to parishioners and schools quelling a “false and disgusting rumor” sparked by a Facebook post saying a parish priest had warned of an impending ICE raid during morning mass Friday.
A general store on Shrewsbury Avenue that typically sees twenty to thirty customers a day using its wire transfer service to send money abroad has seen a 90 percent drop-off in business.
Those are just a few anecdotes from a week in which fear and falsehoods gripped Red Bank’s immigrant community as the Trump administration began what it promises will be the largest mass deportation in the nation’s history.
A message sent out by St. Anthony’s Parish decrying the lie posted to Facebook (photo by Brian Donohue)
While there is no evidence of any stepped-up operations by US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the area, news of raids elsewhere in the country and rampant falsehoods circulating on social media and text networks are sparking fears that kept shops and stores unusually quiet Friday.
“The people are very panicked,’’ shop worker Aurora Espinosa said in Spanish as she stood inside the empty Remyan General Store where she said business is off by 90 percent the past few days. “They don’t want to go out.”
If the fear is incessant, though, so is the widespread work being done behind the scenes to counter it.
Across Red Bank, residents are carrying in their wallets cards that have been distributed by the thousands describing their rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the US Constitution.
Teams of instructors have briefed staff of the Red Bank Public Schools and Red Bank Regional High School on how to respond if ICE agents show up at the school, as authorized by new Trump administration guidelines.
And a national immigrant rights group with an office in Red Bank launched a form for people to report ICE activity so allow workers and volunteer can sort out fact from fiction.
“There’s folks, whether intentionally or unintentionally, creating even more chaos and panic by reporting false sightings,’’ said Itzel Perez-Hernandez, immigrant rights organizer with American Friends Service Committee’s Red Bank office (photo below).
The new reporting interface allows staff and volunteers to and sift through reports and verify or debunk reports.
“What this does it allows us to try to calm down the false sightings,’’ she said.
The six-year-old Red Bank branch of the Quaker-founded nonprofit is also distributing red cards describing in English and Spanish residents rights and instructions on what to do if they receive a knock on the door from ICE agents.
“You want to talk about law and order?” Hernandez said. “Get a warrant.”
Stacks of red “know your rights” cards being distributed by American Friends Service Committee’s Red Bank office. (photo by Brian Donohue)
The Trump Administration has said it is beginning its efforts by targeting non-citizens with criminal records or outstanding deportation orders.
But it has taken several measures to widen that net in ways that would likely ensnare people in the country without authorization but who have not committed crimes.
It rescinded a Biden-adminisration directive instructing ICE agents to only arrest the target of their investigation. The new directive allows ICE agents to also arrest so-called “collaterals” or anyone else they encounter in the course of their investigation.
Historically, those collateral arrests have far outnumbered the number of fugitives who are the original targets of raids.
The Trump administration has also issued a directive allowing ICE agents to conduct operations in schools, churches and health care facilities.
On Monday, Red Bank Borough Board of Education Superintendent Jared Rummage sent a letter to families “to address concerns and questions” about the new federal policy. The letter said the school officials would follow newly published NJ Department of Education protocols on the matter.
“Regarding questions about ICE’s involvement with our schools, please know that Red Bank Borough Public Schools does not ask families about their immigration status, and we will not share student records with ICE unless required by law,’’ the letter reads.
“Any requests for access to students or district facilities by ICE will be handled with care and in accordance with legal requirements, ensuring that the rights and privacy of our students are respected. In addition, our teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff are here to support students who may be feeling distressed or anxious.” To read the full letter click here.
Meanwhile, the whack-a-mole over misinformation continues. Hernandez said volunteers and AFSC staff sent out texts and messages to a network of community members trying to verify – and eventually debunk – the false sighting spurred by the green-and-white trucks.
St. Anthony of Padua pastor Father Alberto Tamayo said he moved quickly to tamp down the lie posted to a Facebook group with the name “Long Branch Latinos.”
“Rumors like this can destroy the peace of a community,” he said.
Unlike the green-and-white truck rumor likely started by an honest mistake or someone who panicked, Rev. Tamayo thinks the fake Facebook post about a priest’s warning was done by someone purposely to create panic.
“It’s an attack on the immigrant community and on us,” he said. “And it’s meant to do what it did. To make people afraid.”
Have a news tip or story idea? redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
