Many Haitians in Miami stay home as activists train to respond to ICE at midterms

Since a protective status that had allowed Haitians to reside in the United States ended on 27 July, 350,000 Haitians have faced the threat of deportation by federal immigration authorities, Le Monde reported. The outlet reported that many no longer dare to leave their homes. Its headline quoted: 'No one goes out anymore, the streets and churches are deserted, people are afraid of being arrested.'

El País reported that several civil society groups that trained volunteers to monitor ICE activity during immigration raids have adapted that training for the 3 November midterm elections. One concern is that immigration agents could appear at polling places; activists argue that even if no arrests are made, their presence could intimidate voters and discourage them from voting. According to El País, government officials speak of unnecessary 'alarmism', but thousands of citizens are not convinced.

Zach Mueller, a strategist at States at the Core (STAC), said one concern is possible ICE activity around, though not necessarily inside, polling places. He said the group has informant reports that the Department of Homeland Security is looking for ways to use a specific incident, or a few people registering incorrectly, as a pretext to send ICE agents to polling places. 'We don't know if that will happen, but there is a real possibility it could,' Mueller said, according to El País.

STAC says it was formed when Trump began his second term and has since trained about 55,000 people to respond to ICE operations, according to El País. El País reported that Mueller recently led a Zoom training on election threats for about 150 people. Jessica Acee, a senior organizer at STAC, told participants not to interfere, to act nonviolently and, when documenting from outside polling places, to stay generally 100 feet away; in some places, such as Tennessee, the required distance is greater.

El País reported that the training also covered organizing teams to record events, relay information, calm potentially violent situations and drive voters to the polls. One adjustment concerns whistles, which neighbors previously used to alert one another to immigration agents: organizers fear such alarms at polling places could frighten voters and discourage them from casting ballots. El País reported these are precautions in case federal agents violate the law.