Before President Trump was sworn in on Monday (January 20), immigrants in New York City shelters felt uneasy about the possibility of raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting many to leave the shelters to avoid being caught. However, Chinese undocumented immigrants rarely live in shelters, and they are currently not particularly concerned. Trump’s appointment of hardliner border affairs chief Tom Homan intends to immediately initiate deportation actions, with cities like New York being a primary target. This has caused panic among shelter residents in New York City, with reports indicating that many Hispanic immigrants are packing up and leaving.
A 31-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, Kervin Nava, told the New York Post that he is making plans to relocate elsewhere. In his inaugural speech, Trump clearly stated his intention to immediately halt the settlement of refugees. According to data from the New York City Hall, there are about 50,000 undocumented immigrants in city shelters, but the number of Chinese immigrants is negligible. Xiao Gao, who came to the U.S. as a stowaway last year, expressed to this newspaper that he feels shelters are firstly “unsafe” and secondly “not conducive to working,” which is why Chinese people do not stay in shelters. “Chinese people come to the U.S. for work, and it’s uncomfortable to rely on the government for support, so we don’t stay in shelters,” Xiao Gao said, adding that he currently works at a nail salon. “My asylum application already has a court date, so I’m not scared, nor have I heard of anyone around me being worried.” Another stowaway, Xiao Liang, stayed in a shelter for only a day upon arriving in New York City.
“I just wanted to experience staying in a shelter. We Chinese people all want to rent a place to live. If there’s no other choice, we might temporarily stay there,” Xiao Liang said, expressing his indifference to Trump taking office. “Since I’ve already filed for asylum, I could be deported. I don’t think we qualify as a priority for that, so I’m not worried.” Xiao Liang mentioned that Chinese immigrants come to the U.S. to strive for success and achieve the “American Dream,” not to become a burden to the U.S. government.