作者：多因索拉·奥拉迪波
- 摘要
- 企业
- 团结工会（Unite Here）报告称，明尼阿波利斯酒店业工人仍心存恐惧，不敢露面
- 数十家企业报告因移民局（ICE）存在导致员工缺勤和运营压力
- 工会称，移民局特工不顾移民身份，拘留了酒店和机场工作人员
- 明尼阿波利斯社区规划与经济发展部（CPED）估计企业每周收入损失1000万至2000万美元
纽约，2月3日（路透社） – 工会官员表示，明尼阿波利斯数百名工会成员（包括酒店、餐馆和机场工作人员）仍在躲避，等待美国移民执法策略在未来几周是否会改变。
联邦特工表示，他们将采取不那么对抗性的方式，重点针对有刑事指控或定罪的移民，此前特朗普政府激进的移民执法行动遭到广泛批评。
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尽管有此承诺，明尼阿波利斯及圣保罗国际机场的酒店、餐馆等行业员工仍害怕在工作场所或公共场所遇到移民和海关执法局（ICE）特工，团结工会表示。
美国酒店业三分之一的员工是外国出生的。团结工会第17地方分会（Unite Here Local 17）称，在明尼阿波利斯地区，由于ICE持续开展行动，一些工人甚至不敢出门。
新上任负责明尼阿波利斯移民打击行动的美国边境负责人汤姆·霍曼（Tom Homan）表示，ICE将针对有前科或被定罪的人，但如果遇到无证移民仍可能进行逮捕。
他表示，将根据州和城市领导人的”合作”情况，削减部署到该市的3000名特工力量。
路透社无法核实当前在明尼阿波利斯部署的ICE特工人数。
团结工会第17地方分会主席克里斯塔·萨拉克（Christa Sarrack）表示：”酒店里的恐惧情绪更为严重。无论移民身份如何，无论肤色如何，他们都不敢进入房间，因为他们知道这些人曾多次表现出暴力行为。”
包括ICE在内的国土安全部未回应置评请求。
政府的做法遭到广泛批评，尤其是1月份ICE特工在两起事件中杀死两名美国公民之后。
团结工会称，约有200名成员不敢外出，并直接为他们提供食物和租金、水电等生活援助。工会表示，没有询问成员的移民身份。
酒店工人被捕
根据联邦法院文件，1月19日，ICE特工在明尼阿波利斯郊区圣路易斯公园的希尔顿惠庭酒店（Hilton Homewood Suites），在向其老板保证不会被拘留后，逮捕了一名在此工作的尼加拉瓜难民。
尽管该工人持有有效工作许可且正在申请永久居留，但仍被送往得克萨斯州埃尔帕索的拘留中心。其律师未回应置评请求，也未说明法官下令后是否已获释。希尔顿全球控股公司（HLT.N）未回应置评请求。
经济压力
ICE的存在正在加剧明尼阿波利斯的经济活动。明尼阿波利斯社区规划与经济发展部（CPED）估计，企业每周收入损失约1000万至2000万美元，部分企业在过去两个月同比收入下降近80%。
CPED主任埃里克·汉森（Erik Hansen）表示：”这对许多企业、工人和家庭来说是灾难性的。”
明尼阿波利斯旅游推广公司Meet Minneapolis对约100家企业1月份的调查显示，约90家企业（包括餐馆、酒店和零售店）报告称恐惧或压力影响运营，其中72家企业报告员工缺勤。
萨拉克表示：”除非有真正的问责机制，且ICE离开我们的街道，否则成员们不会感到安全。”
纽约报道：多因索拉·奥拉迪波；华盛顿补充报道：泰德·赫森；编辑：大卫·加芬、伊桑·史密斯、斯蒂芬·科茨
Minneapolis hospitality workers wary of ICE’s promises to pull back, union says
By Doyinsola Oladipo
- Summary
- Companies
- Unite Here union reports ongoing fear, hiding among Minneapolis hospitality workers
- Dozens of businesses report staff absences and operational stress due to ICE presence
- ICE agents have detained hotel, airport workers regardless of immigration status, union says
- CPED estimates $10 million-$20 million weekly revenue loss for businesses
NEW YORK, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Hundreds of unionized workers in Minneapolis, including those at hotels, restaurants and an airport, are still staying out of sight as they wait to see if U.S. immigration enforcement tactics change in coming weeks, a union official said.
Federal agents have said they would take a less confrontational approach, and would focus on immigrants with criminal charges or convictions, amid widespread criticism of the Trump White House’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
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Despite that promise, many who work in hotels, restaurants and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport remained fearful of encountering Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, either at their place of work or in public, according to the Unite Here union.
One-third of U.S. hospitality industry workers are foreign-born. Unite Here Local 17 said that in the Minneapolis area, some workers are too afraid to leave their homes as ICE continues to carry out operations.
U.S. border czar Tom Homan, newly appointed to lead the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, said ICE would target people with prior arrests or convictions, but that its agents would still be allowed to arrest someone with no conviction if they encountered them.
He said he would look to reduce the 3,000-strong force of agents deployed to the city, depending on “cooperation” from state and city leaders.
Reuters could not establish the number of ICE agents currently deployed in Minneapolis.
“There’s just a different level of fear in the hotels,” said Christa Sarrack, president of Unite Here Local 17, which has up to 7,000 members in the region’s hospitality industry.
“Regardless of immigration status, regardless of the color of their skin, they’re scared to go into the rooms because they know that this is a group of people that have proven time and again to be violent.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, did not respond to a request for comment.
The administration’s approach has drawn widespread criticism, particularly since ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens in separate incidents in January.
Unite Here said it had about 200 members who were avoiding public places, and was directly providing support like food and money for rent and utilities to many of them. The union said it did not ask its members about their immigration status.
HOTEL WORKER ARRESTED
On January 19, ICE agents staying at the Hilton Homewood Suites in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park arrested a refugee from Nicaragua who worked at the same hotel, after assuring his boss he would not be detained if he reported to work, according to a federal court filing.
The worker, identified in a court filing as Darvin M., was sent to a detention center in El Paso, Texas, despite having a valid work permit and an application pending for permanent residency.
His attorney did not respond to requests for comment or say whether he had been released following a judge’s order. Hilton Worldwide Holdings HLT.N did not respond to a request for comment.
ECONOMIC STRAIN
ICE’s presence is straining economic activity in Minneapolis. Businesses are losing about $10 million to $20 million a week in revenue, the Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development department estimates, with some businesses reporting a nearly 80% revenue decline year-over-year in the past two months.
“That is nothing short of catastrophic for many of our businesses, workers and families,” said Erik Hansen, CPED’s director.
About 90 Minneapolis businesses, including restaurants, hotels and retail shops said fear or stress was affecting operations, with 72 reporting staff absences, according to a January survey of about 100 businesses by Meet Minneapolis, the city’s destination marketing firm.
“Until there is real accountability and ICE is off our streets, the members will not feel safe,” said Sarrack.
Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; additional reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by David Gaffen, Ethan Smith and Stephen Coates
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