This week we鈥檙e talking about immigration, as part of the series . We鈥檙e using Painesville in Lake County as a starting point. The city recently issued a policy to have police report arrests for certain crimes to immigration authorities. This has drawn some strong backlash from activists, and the ACLU. For one perspective we speak with Jose Ramon.
Jose Ramon: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a little bit big deal, because a lot of people are getting all scared. Instead of driving their cars, they鈥檙e walking, or they鈥檙e just riding bikes. I think it鈥檚 just kind of interesting, but that鈥檚 the reality now here in Painesville. A lot of people think they鈥檙e gonna get stopped for no reason, they鈥檙e scared to go to work, go to the store, anything.鈥�
Ramon graduated high school two years ago, and says he is here on account of DACA, or the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Last week the Trump Administration said it wasn鈥檛 immediately eliminating the protections for so-called 鈥楧reamers,鈥� but the future is still uncertain.
And Ramon says he鈥檚 seen a change in Painesville since the President took office.
Ramon: 鈥淵es, I鈥檝e seen a huge difference. I heard a lot of stories that people were getting stopped by the police, asking for documentation. They鈥檙e treating bad, I think that鈥檚 not fair for them.鈥�
Ganzer: 鈥淎nd you, yourself, have you face increased, I don鈥檛 know, pressure around town, or do you feel nervous more than you did before?鈥�
Ramon: 鈥淵es, I feel really nervous when I go to the store. Like two weeks ago, there was two ladies that came up to me. They鈥檙e like, 鈥楢re you Hispanic? Why are you here for?鈥� I tell them that I was here to have a better life. And they鈥檙e asking me, 鈥榳hy, don鈥檛 come to bother our country.鈥� And I started telling them I鈥檓 not bothering you guys.鈥�
Ganzer: 鈥淭his just happened in a store?鈥�
Ramon: 鈥淵es, that was two weeks ago already.鈥�
Ganzer: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e shopping in a store and somebody just randomly walks up to you and starts saying these things?鈥�
Ramon: 鈥淵es, they were like, 鈥榳hat are you doing here? Why are you in this country like that? Are you illegal to the country?鈥� I told them I had the permission鈥擨 didn鈥檛 give them too much details鈥攂ut I told them I have the DACA. I don鈥檛 know why they asked to give them more information, I told them 鈥榶ou鈥檙e not the right person to be asking me those questions鈥� and I just walked away.鈥�
Ganzer: 鈥淗ad that ever happened to you before?鈥�
Ramon: 鈥淣o. That was the first time I heard from someone. I think because all this stuff started going around since Trump came to president now.鈥�
Ramon says his parents are undocumented, and even they鈥檙e nervous to drive to work, and are getting rides from friends to make sure things go smoothly.
And others in the community are even considering moving back to Mexico, or to another state.
But Ramon says the attention that would bring, has left some people even too scared to move.
