Bobby’s Department Stores, a beloved shopping destination for the West Indian community across New York City, are facing significant challenges as President Trump’s immigration policies take a toll. The store, which has a strong following among Caribbean immigrants, is seeing a noticeable decline in both employees and customers.
Many of these employees, who some suspect may have been working under the table, are now fearful of being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the New York State Police (NYPD). The fear of being detained and taken to ICE’s detention centers has prompted many to stay home.
The situation reflects a wider trend in the West Indian and Caribbean communities, where many are realising that Trump’s rhetoric and policies targeting undocumented immigrants extend beyond the Latino community.
While some initially thought that Trump’s focus on immigrants from countries like Mexico and his offensive remarks about African nations would not affect them, it is now clear that his zero-tolerance approach is aimed at all undocumented immigrants, including those from the Caribbean.
In Brooklyn, the Bobby’s Department Store on Utica Avenue, typically a busy location, now shows signs of emptiness, both in terms of shoppers and sales staff.
On Valentine’s Day, the streets of 115th Street and Liberty Avenue in Queens, known as “Little Guyana” for its large Guyanese population, were eerily quiet. This area, once bustling with immigrants seeking fresh food and a taste of home, is now seeing fewer people venture out due to the fear of being caught in ICE raids or facing other legal consequences under the current administration.
Trump’s policies have also triggered a political shift in immigrant communities. While Trump secured support from voters who rejected the Kamala Harris/tim Walz Democratic ticket, many West Indian immigrants are now coming to terms with the fact that they, too, are being targeted under his policies. Despite the fear, some have begun to protest, calling for the President to show more compassion toward immigrant communities.
Meanwhile, analysts speculate that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in Guyana could gain support from the large number of undocumented immigrants from the country living in New York. In a striking shift from past positions, Guyana’s Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo recently expressed the country’s willingness to accept deported nationals, stating, “We will take our people back if they’re deported.”
The situation has prompted further discussions about the future of immigration policy and the potential for Guyana to accept nationals from other countries, although U.S. officials have indicated that this is still under consideration and has yet to be formalized.
With fear gripping the immigrant communities, particularly among Guyanese and other Caribbean nationals, it remains to be seen how the political landscape will evolve both in the United States and in Guyana.
