PROVIDENCE — A patient at Providence’s Clínica Esperanza fractured his ankle and needed surgery, but he refused to go to the hospital. He was afraid he’d wake up after surgery in handcuffs because of his immigration status.
But if the man doesn’t get surgery, he will end up with a disability for the rest of his life, clinic executive director Morgan Leonard said.
“The fear is real,” Leonard said. “The consequences are real.”
The Trump administration’s immigration rhetoric and policies are stirring fears and sparking rumors among many undocumented families throughout New England, prompting people to avoid schools, health clinics, stores, and other public places, officials said.
The impact is especially noticeable in places such as East Boston, which has a large Latin American population, and in tiny Central Falls, R.I., a 1.2-square-mile majority-Latino city of 22,500 people with many undocumented residents.
“Over the last week, the streets of Central Falls have looked like an abandoned wasteland because people are literally afraid to go outside,” said state Senator Jonathon Acosta, a Central Falls Democrat. “There is a lot of misinformation. There is a lot of anxiety.”
Acosta said his 5-year-old son recently came home from school with a “Know Your Rights” card explaining what to do if questioned about immigration status. While his son was born in the United States, some of his classmates were not, Acosta said.
In Marlborough, Democratic state Senator Jamie Eldridge, who represents the Middlesex and Worcester district, said attendance at public schools has dropped noticeably since Trump’s inauguration. Some business owners told Eldridge’s office that some employees have not been showing up for work, and the number of people going to a local Marlborough food pantry has decreased by about 50 percent. Eldridge said his district has a large Brazilian immigrant population, some of whom are undocumented.
A recent case involving a father from Brazil who was pulled over in Marlborough and detained by ICE on his way to work last week made it clear that people who are not violent criminals will be affected by immigration enforcement operations, Eldridge said. The man had no criminal record but had overstayed a visa, Eldridge said.
The Trump administration has also said it will let federal immigration officials make arrests at houses of worship and schools — traditionally safe havens for undocumented immigrants.
Patricia Montes, executive director of Centro Presente in East Boston, a nonprofit aiding immigrants, said East Boston residents have been calling and sending messages through social media, concerned about what the presence of ICE agents in the area could mean.
“We have some members that are like, ‘I don’t want to send my kids to school, I am afraid to go out to the stores, because I’m afraid that at any moment someone can take me — and I don’t want to leave my kids,’ ” Montes said.
In Rhode Island, one undocumented resident said that since Donald Trump’s inauguration, he only goes to work and comes home. He requested that he not be named because of the risk of deportation.
“I used to drive because I have a license and a car, but no more driving for me and some of my friends because we want no trouble,” he said. “I’m not free anymore. I used to go out and play soccer with my friends, but now we don’t.”
The man said he escaped slavery in Mauritania and made his way to the United States in 2023, crossing the US-Mexico border. He made his way to Rhode Island, where he now works and pay taxes.
“Trump should not take that from me,” he said. “We are good people and hard-working people, please.”
When asked what he would do if he was deported, the man said, “Die.” He said, “I am worried that Trump will deport me back home and that will be the end of my life.”
Rhode Island Representative Karen Alzate, a Pawtucket Democrat whose father was deported to Colombia years ago, said fear is also spreading as people see rumors online.
Recently, a Homeland Security truck pulled up in front of a Colombian bakery in Pawtucket, and people began posting warnings on Facebook, Alzate said. But it turned out the truck belonged to a customer.
“We worked so long to make sure that people are not hiding,” Alzate said. “And now they are going back into the shadows.”
Since Trump’s inauguration, Clínica Esperanza, which primarily serves Spanish-speaking patients, has seen a 10 percent increase in its no-show rate, Leonard said.
One diabetic patient who was running out of insulin refused to go to her appointment because of her immigration status, and when staff members drove to her house, she ran from her front door to their car, Leonard said.
“People are not showing for their appointments,” said Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, vice chair of Clínica Esperanza’s board of directors. “It affects us all if we have an outbreak of respiratory viruses, which we do. If people don’t get vaccinated and don’t take care of themselves, the entire community is at risk.”
Ivan Sanchez, who runs a Providence grocery store called Casa Mexico and a Mexican food distributing company, said he voted for Trump in November because he believed Trump was going to straighten out the economy. But now Sanchez fears Trump’s proposals on tariffs and the immigration crackdown will affect business if people stay home.
“The Trump administration is definitely putting some fear into the immigrant community,” he said, “and they are kind of staying away from being outside or going out shopping.”
In Chelsea, Gladys Vega, president and CEO of La Colaborativa, an immigrant social services organization, said community members are questioning where and if they’re safe when leaving their homes. In particular, a recent photo of federal agents in the parking lot of the local Market Basket, where thousands across the area shop, quickly spread worry.
“Since the inauguration, all we keep getting is bad news,” Vega said. “We’ve been responding, and organizing and talking to parents, talking to people, to ease the fear.”
The group has also been holding Know Your Rights training, where staff have explained Trump’s executive orders and directives and informed immigrants of what they can do if they encounter ICE agents.
Many undocumented immigrants said they must continue to go to work and take care of their families.
Beatriz, who lives in Chelsea and runs her own cleaning business, has tried to explain to her daughter, who is in third grade, what the future might look like if Beatriz were deported.
“She gets nervous,” said Beatriz, who asked not to be named for fear of deportation. “I see her reaction in her little face.”
Beatriz’s daughter sometimes begs her to stay when she has to leave the house. “She would tell me, ‘No, Mami, don’t go to work,’ ” Beatriz said. “I told her, ‘My love, I have to go.’ ”
The fear of arrest and deportation is a common topic of conversation at school pickups, bus stops, community meetings, and other places, said Beatriz, who goes out as necessary.
“I have continued to move forward with everything, but to be frank, with some fear,” Beatriz said.
Other migrants are also cautiously debating their futures.
At the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, executive director Teddi Jallow said fewer people are showing up for the center’s English language and computer literacy classes. She added that a weekly food pantry usually draws 150 people, but only about 80 turned up last week.
Jallow said a woman from Senegal was so worried about being deported that she pulled her three children out of school, even though the children are US citizens.
“She is very scared,” Jallow said. “She said she plans to lay low for the next four years.”
The Refugee Dream Center runs a youth program that connects young refugees with mentors and youth from local high schools. They hear about the refugees who came to the United States before them and went on to college and promising careers.
One of the youths in the program is a 14-year-old girl whose family fled from political violence and drug cartels in Ecuador and applied for asylum in the United States.
The other day, the youths filled out their “vision boards,” spelling out their hopes and dreams. The girl listed just one goal: “I want to survive for the next four years.”
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv. Omar Mohammed can be reached at omar.mohammed@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter (X) @shurufu. Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio can be reached at giulia.mcdnr@globe.com. Follow her @giuliamcdnr.