"Journalism", Part II — Woe among the Breton Reds

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“So sorry you had to die and dash, but you know. …”

Related: “Who will make our cheesy-bread? Change our sheets?”

'Oh, Dear, Muffin! Whatever Shall We Do?' The Trauma Of Martha's Vineyard v Illegals Continues

…. ISLAND CLEANSE COMPLETED

Or almost. The island natives apparently had done some picking and choosing among the newcomers before booting the vast number of them, and found four of them to be acceptable enough to allow them to remain.

I don't even want to tell you what that sounds like, particularly when one wound up being a housekeeper.

...There was much rejoicing.

…She said it was important to her to pay her own way and not become a burden on the community that welcomed her. Her employer, a woman in her 60s who declined to be named because she was employing someone without a work permit, said Ms. Cauro felt like part of the family.

A million-dollar home excavation project has been delayed because workers were too afraid to show up at the construction site. A pool at a vacation inn was closed to guests after the maintenance crew didn’t arrive. And entire businesses on this New England island have shut down.

Life on Martha’s Vineyard and the adjacent island of Nantucket has been disrupted since officers arrested dozens of immigrants late last month, igniting fear among undocumented workers who form the backbone of the workforce here just as the busy summer season gets underway.

“The money is just going to stop flowing,” said a 33-year-old Brazilian man who owns three businesses on the Vineyard and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he has no legal status in the United States. “The U.S. is only losing in pushing us out.”

Masked immigration officers wearing bulletproof vests arrived on Coast Guard boats right after the Memorial Day weekend and detained several dozen people on both islands. Federal authorities described the arrests as part of a massive sting across Massachusetts that resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests. On the islands, about 40 people were detained, including an alleged MS-13 gang member and someone described as a “child sex offender,” according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Boston. Most had no criminal record and were stopped on their way to work, community members said.

The arrests hit a nerve in a liberal enclave known for welcoming everyone: presidents — former president Barack Obama has an oceanfront property here — LGBTQ+ activists, racial minorities, celebrities and a large cluster of immigrants from Brazil. People checked in on friends and warned them to stay off the roads. Residents staged a protest at the ferry docks where agents were loading shackled migrants onto boats. One man followed the officers with a camera and heckled them.