Guyanese Community in Queens Struggles Under Trump’s Deportation Policies

The bustling streets of 115th Street and Liberty Avenue in Queens, New York, a hub for Guyanese immigrants seeking fresh vegetables, seafood, and a taste of home, are now eerily quiet. This area, often referred to as “Little Guyana,” has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies, which have left the community in fear and uncertainty. Queens has a high population of undocumented Guyanese immigrants

What was once a vibrant, life-filled street has turned into a ghost town, particularly since Trump’s announcement to leave “no stone unturned” in the deportation of undocumented immigrants. Businesses that once thrived are now facing significant declines in foot traffic, with 592 Little Guyana, once a hive of activity, has seen reduced traffic.

On Valentine’s Day, when the street would typically be teeming with people buying gifts and celebrating love, the scene was starkly different. By 4:00 p.m., a time normally full of activity, the area was nearly deserted. A few bouquets of roses sat waiting for someone to buy them, but many Guyanese-Americans, fearing deportation, have gone underground, avoiding public spaces to evade detection.

Trump’s hardline deportation policy has struck particularly hard in this part of Queens, where many residents supported him in the 2024 elections. The community’s vocal rejection of then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the daughter of Black Jamaican and Indian immigrants, is now ironic.

Harris, who identifies as Black, but never disowned her Indian mother, had pushed for immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, while Trump promised from the start to prioritise deportation. As the Trump administration moves forward with its policy, the promises of compassion and reform seem far from reach for many in the community.

With the increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers, the once-bustling streets of Little Guyana now feel like a battleground. ICE and the NYPD are empowered to stop individuals and demand documentation, and those unable to prove their legal status risk being detained and processed for deportation.

The Guyanese population in Queens, many of whom are undocumented, faces growing anxiety and fear under this new wave of enforcement. The community, which once felt at home in this vibrant cultural enclave, now finds itself in crisis, as deportation looms over many lives, leaving them to protest and plead for compassion in the face of an increasingly hostile environment.

As Trump’s deportation policies intensify, the once thriving Little Guyana is left grappling with the reality of being caught between a president they support -who ran on promises of strict immigration enforcement- and a community struggling to survive in the shadow of those very policies.