Party gowns must be double pressure, with hedge shaved into sharp rectangles. The hand soap and lotion dispenser must form neat lines along the bathroom sink. Diners need to lose sight immediately after catering and cocktails are served.
The wealthy residents of Hampton need perfection. Now, many people who do this — Latino immigrants, some of whom have no documents — are panicked about President Trump’s deportation order.
Fear is on display outside the convenience store, where day workers rush into nearby fields when a stranger approaches. The long-term housekeeper apologized nervously as she interacted with the police after a small car scratch. It passes through the courses the gardener has taught in a small camp in the woods waiting for warm weather so that he can start mowing the grass again and send the money to his family in Mexico.
“Everyone lives in fear,” said Sandra Melendez, trustee of East Hampton Village and immigration attorney. “They think immigrants are coming out soon.”
In recent weeks, President Trump has begun implementing plans for mass deportation nationwide, with immigration and customs law enforcement officers forcing undocumented immigrants to return to their country of origin.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem arrived in New York City last month with force, resulting in more than thirty arrests. While it is unclear whether arrests were jointly executed in New York, the actions terrorized those working in factories, farms and schools.
In Hamptons, with miles of private hedges and luxury homes, Latino immigrants make up the bulk of the workforce, 12-hour overturned mattresses, scrubbing toilets and hanging plasterboards, and in the summer, caring for grapes The vineyards gathered below, and the sun was scorching.
Some workers arrived illegally, crossing the U.S. border after a tough desert or jungle trek. Some have legal work papers but are worried that they may be swept by raids or undocumented family and friends. Some believe that President Trump only pursues criminals. Others aren't sure it's true.
Latinos are also established part of the Hampton community. According to the U.S. Census data, in the town of East Hampton, which covers many villages on the eastern end of Long Island, Latinos make up more than a quarter of the population. Several local schools have more than half of the students.
But for most parts of the world, Hampton is known for gatherings raised by celebrities and huge large dominations, scattered with waterfronts, such as a house in Sagoponak, worth 4.25 $100 million, with 29 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms. It's a community where restaurant customers cruising in Balenciaga Booties and Aston Martin Sports Cars cruising strip malls. For sale in a popular grocery store: a 18-ounce caviar for $1,300.
The disappearance of some of the most vulnerable residents of Hampton will have a direct impact on some of the wealthiest people in the United States.
“The community at the eastern end of Long Island – saying it depends on the Latino population is an understatement,” said Lee Skolnick, a renowned architect who lives in Sag Harbor. “They are part of the community. They play a significant role in our interests and in anyone else.”
Last fall, billionaire hedge fund managers, financiers and various Glitterati were there to host fundraising for Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, although voters in much of the Hampton supported Kamala Harris in November. If some residents support President Trump’s widespread repression of illegal immigration, most people are hearing from the perspective of deporting violent criminals.
Local officials have tried to calm concerns among the people who have made Hampton Hampton, including undocumented workers and wealthy residents. In the public meeting, they explained that local police had no authority to deport anyone, urging anyone in need of police or medical help to feel safe looking for it.
But officials are carefully choosing their words to show that if Icefield agents arrive, they will not be in the way.
“I don't think anyone wants criminals who live in our community,” said East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen. “Everyone is on the same page. But the wrong message is driving fear,” said East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen. , that's what we want to clear.”
Residents who have been working to find more affordable housing for local workers are working to seek legal help for fearful immigrants.
Some people, such as Prudence Carabine, believe that local governments should provide this kind of help. She brought the case in an open meeting of East Hampton Town officials earlier this month.
Ms. Carabine said: “I think of my friends and people who have been in this town for 30, 40, 50 years now, who are now crowded in their houses, sometimes putting their children down and not daring to shop.” In the 1600s, Hamptons from Europe. “And I think: the place we come is a terrible place.”
Fear of going out
The special symbiosis of the Hamptons is on display every morning and evening, when pickup trucks clogged the Montauk Highway, shuttled Latino workers between workplaces and houses in cheaper areas. Some residents call it a “trade march,” a phrase some workers think of as dispatch.
But the Latinos in Hampton are more than just commuter populations. They have popular businesses such as John Papas Cafe, a Greek restaurant that offers $21.50 for Parthenon omelets. The owner from Ecuador was originally a kitchen worker and worked hard, the staff said.
Leo Cruz came to the United States on a tourist visa from Costa Rica in 2007 and has since become a U.S. citizen. He and his siblings own Cruz Brothers Construction, an East Hampton company engaged in high-end projects. Mr. Cruz opposes open borders but believes that there should be an easier civic avenue for immigrants who can contribute to American society.
He said his company cannot find enough workers at this time.
The area is now quiet with snow blankets of vineyards and beaches. Lobster shed and ice cream shop were closed. A row of small trees and bushes are laid on the cover to protect them from elements.
In the Latino community, few people shop in Mexico, Ecuador and Dominican markets, eating among diners, cumbia music is invisible from luxury stores and fine dining venues.
Some wealthy people began to quietly calculate what it would mean if their undocumented workers were deported. Who mows the lawn?
“Everyone depends on housekeepers, carpenters, lawn mowers and lawn mowers,” said Marit Molin, founder and executive director of Hampton Community Outreach. “People come to Hampton to enjoy the house, who will take care of their house? ”
Local agencies have worked hard to connect with the Latino community. The Parrish Museum of Art offers Latino-themed exhibitions and student programs including Latino-children at the water plant. A famous cultural organization called Sag Harbour Church has worked hard to attract Latinos through community activities.
But many of the Latino residents here are largely isolated from their wealthy white neighbors. Some people live on the edge, sharing a small room or riding a bicycle with an hour's pickup station for workers.
Recently, Ms. Molin visited a small group of undocumented immigrants who had been living under the woods behind the ice cream shop until a manager there threatened to call the police. The group moved almost into trees elsewhere in the backyard of an upscale restaurant.
A man living in the woods is a gardener waiting for summer work. He lost his job at the deli after another man took time to treat his injuries. Another person suffers from stomach pain and cannot work. They spent a lot of time wandering around the store, warming up and charging their phones. Ms. Molin handed the gift card to the food and offered to pay the mobile phone bill, and could even purchase air tickets in their home country. No.
Some Hampton workers legally in the country have spent tens of thousands of dollars on submitting immigration documents, but are concerned that they may be harassed or detained, regardless of their status.
A housekeeper, a woman, said that although she could raise a family in Ecuador, she had no money to give lawyers to help speed up the political asylum case. She also worried that she might be deported if she appeared in court. She said she was so exhausted by the anxiety that she was ready to leave the country if ordered to do so.
Another cleaner said she did not think she would be deported because her boyfriend is a U.S. citizen and her four children were born in the United States. In addition, she said, she believes Mr. Trump only detains criminals.
Both women demanded disagreement due to the stigma of the threat of deportation.
Susan Meisel, an art collector who owns Bridgehampton restaurant, said she also believes federal officials will be able to eliminate criminals and deport them.
“Most of the people in Hampton are very hardworking, kind, honest people,” she said. “They are good people. There is a difference between them and they say they will be deported.”
Federal officials said they intend to prioritize undocumented immigration for crimes. But Mr. Trump also said he would deport millions of people living in the country illegally – a characteristic that is complex because many immigrants have temporary permits that expire during Mr. Trump’s term.
Some of Hampton’s wealthier residents have begun raising funds for lawyers to help immigrants avoid ice trawling.
“I’ve been trying to encourage people to pay more, even if you stretch more,” said April Gornik, a well-known landscape painter who lives with her husband in Sag Harbor, artist Eric Fischl.
Minerva Perez, executive director of the advocacy group, the Latin Americans, said school districts and police departments should distribute clearer policies in English and Spanish to address how they plan to respond to federal Immigration orders to make residents feel informed. .
She added: “Sometimes sometimes there is a lot of empathy, and at this moment, empathy is not enough.”
Luis Ferré-Sadurní Contribution report.
