Kentucky advocates say there is increased anxiety among immigrant communities as sweeps from ICE continue nationwide.
A report from think tank Cato Institute says 65% of ICE detainees had no criminal conviction. More than 90% were never convicted of a violent offense.
Nima Kulkarni is a state representative and immigration employment attorney out of Louisville. In an interview with Eastern Standard, she says those sweeps can be emotionally taxing on immigrants, regardless of citizenship status.
“They might be lawful permanent residents. They might be here on valid student visas. They might be specialty occupation professionals,” Kulkarni said. “None of them are safe because their status could be revoked at any time, or they could simply be put into a detention process that doesn't even allow them to argue the fact that they're here, actually, lawfully.”
Those anxieties are also impacting Kentucky’s workforce. Those in the horse industry say migrant workers make up the vast majority of labor, at the track and at stables.
Javier Hernandez is a farm manager at Woodstock Farm, a horse boarding stable in Fayette County. He says he’s seen some smaller farms close because they’re losing workers.
“Some of the farms only had like, two, three employees, and they decided to just shut down. They are like, "We don't want to do this anymore, because we cannot hire any people, like, I don't have the time to do, you know, the job.’”
More from Hernandez and Kulkarni can be heard on this week’s edition of Eastern Standard, which airs 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
