Brazilian immigrants living in New Jersey say they plan to stay home on October 4, the first round of Brazil's presidential election, out of fear of ICE, the United States immigration enforcement agency. The accounts were given to Folha de S.Paulo, which found that the fear guided the Consulate-General of Brazil in New York in choosing the polling site.
According to the newspaper, daily life has changed in the cities hit hardest by immigration raids. Some Brazilians avoid going out during the day, order food through delivery apps to skip restaurants, and follow WhatsApp groups created to warn about the presence of agents. Because of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants, turnout among Brazilian voters in the United States is expected to be lower this year.
The Consulate-General in New York serves voters living in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. According to Folha's reporting, the mission had two main concerns: finding a space where immigrants would feel protected and reducing the chance of illegal election-day campaigning and clashes between voters of opposing political camps.
An educational complex in Queens
The chosen site is an educational complex in Queens, far from Manhattan and from New Jersey cities with large Brazilian communities, such as Newark. Its layout, the newspaper reports, prevents lines from forming in public spaces and keeps voters inside the buildings at all times.
The choice rests on American law. ICE agents cannot enter private areas, such as homes and schools, without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. That is why most arrests happen in public places, and why isolated cases, like an arrest at Columbia University in Manhattan, drew wide attention. Folha also reported that the concern for Brazilian voters was shared by the New York City Mayor's Office of International Affairs and the New York Police Department.
Brazilians living abroad vote only for president. The next test comes on October 4, when turnout at the consulate's polling stations will show how much fear has weighed on the region's electorate.