South Street is Nearly Empty

A Spanish-American mom-and-pop shop is located at the corner of South Street and Union Avenue in Peekskill,.

South Street stands silent. Gone are the many migrant laborers who once filled the corners every morning, waiting for their chance at a day’s work. The same emptiness stretches beyond—familiar gathering spots that used to bustle with activity now feel hollow. The Latino population remains, but it no longer flourishes as it once did.

One can only wonder: is this the aftermath of ICE raids under the Trump administration? The signs are everywhere. C-Town, a well-known hub for Latino workers, has thinned out. It used to be alive with movement—shoppers, conversations, a sense of community. Now, caution fills the air. People move differently, more carefully, as if bracing for something unseen but always present.

Rockland County's Walmart on the west side of the Hudson is another former gathering place that reflects the same eerie transformation. Once, workers would pile into a van for weekend shopping trips. The store bustled with life, and businesses nearby thrived. Today, the parking lot stands empty, a quiet marker of fear’s reach.

The consequences stretch far beyond lost wages or struggling businesses. The most heartbreaking toll is in healthcare. I think of an acquaintance—a man who came here, speaking no English, working hard to carve out a life. When pneumonia struck, he hesitated, afraid to seek medical help. ICE was watching. He nearly lost his life, not to sickness, but to fear. His story is not unique. It plays out again and again, a tragic cycle of hesitation, suffering, and loss.

And yet, many who now witness this quiet devastation were once Trump supporters. They cast their votes, believing in promises that now unravel before them—watching as their own community bears the weight of its consequences.
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The question lingers: how long will the silence last?