NYC restaurant owners unite to help undocumented employees amid immigration crackdown
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has made some immigrants fearful that ICE could show up at their workplace.
Now, some New York City restaurant owners want to channel that anxiety into action.
More than 60% of restaurant workers are immigrants, according to the state comptroller, and restaurant owners are teaming up to help them.
One dishwasher at a Manhattan restaurant said life for him and other undocumented immigrants was much more relaxed before ICE expanded the focus of its raids to include workplaces and immigration courts.
He said he only came here to work and not to cause problems.
Advocates say ICE agents can legally access private areas like kitchens and storage rooms, but only with a warrant.
The advocacy group One Fair Wage has long fought for better pay for restaurant workers, and they say the Trump administration's crackdown is just one front in a perfect storm.
"Restaurant workers use Medicaid and food stamps at double the rate of other workers, and so they are losing their benefits, being terrorized in their workplaces, being targeted for their identities," said Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage.
The group is building a growing network of restaurant owners who can educate workers about their rights, provide free legal services and telehealth counseling.
In the meantime, the city is trying to reassure undocumented residents who are fearful.
"We're concerned that children will stop coming to school, concerned that if someone is a victim of a crime, or they witness a crime, they won't come forward beacuse of that," said Manuel Castro of the NYC Office of Immigrant Affairs.
At the restaurant, many say they will continue to work because they say they have families back home that count on their help.
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