The dozens of empty vehicles on the roads after the most recent ICE raid in Greene County told one story.
Local advocates say another is unfolding behind closed doors: In Charlottesville and Central Virginia, immigrant families are afraid to go to work, the grocery store or to take their children to school. Many have lost loved ones, social support networks and the income of family breadwinners to detentions and deportations. Some are going hungry.
“Food insecurity is clearly increasing in the local Latino community, but our clients are hesitant to reach out to organizations for aid,” Javier Raudales, executive director of Sin Barreras, said in a news release for the event. “I hope the broader Charlottesville community will join us for this forum, to hear how my community is suffering from this federal pressure and to help us get through it.”…