Cosme Neles arrived in the U.S. from his native Brazil by crossing the Mexican border. He’s now lived in New Hampshire for 23 years, and while he arrived as an undocumented immigrant, he is now an American citizen. He says his experience in those difficult times pushes him to support newcomers with information on how to get legal assistance, housing, or health services.
But recently, his help has not been limited to people in New Hampshire.
Since Florida passed aRepublican-backed bill stepping up requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers and forcing hospitals to collect data on whether patients live legally in the U.S., Neles has also received calls for help from people in that state.
Some are asking how difficult life is for undocumented immigrants in New Hampshire. Neles tells them that if they plan to move, they won’t be able to get a driver’s license here but that the state does not require businesses to use E-Verify, a system to check workers’ immigration status. Last year a bill to mandate it was proposed at the New Hampshire State Housebut did not pass.
“People can succeed only if they get truthful information about the place they want to go,” Neles said. ”Misinformation is a big problem in my community.”
Neles feels sorry for people who, fearing deportation, might have to sell their houses and leave the lives they have built in Florida. With him, other Latinos in Nashua worry something similar could happen in a state like New Hampshire.
Giancarlo Martinez is from the Dominican Republic and now works at a local barbershop. He moved to New Hampshire years ago from New York, as many of his colleagues have done, looking for more opportunities for employment. He says finding a steady place to call home is vital to success.
Martinez is upset that some New Hampshire lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that would make it illegal for the police not to report an encounter with an undocumented person. Last week, the House Municipal and County Government Committee deadlocked, 10-10, on whether to recommend that the full House kill the bill.
Martinez says that kind of proposal only encourages anti-immigrant feelings.
“They can’t deport everybody,” he said. “This will pass too; it is all about political interest.”
Jorge Gonzales and Karine Iturvide paused in their busy day to find a local bodega to get something to eat. She is from Mexico, and he is from El Salvador; both say they enjoy living in New Hampshire and appreciate how safe they feel here.
Gonzales, who works in construction, said if people want to move from Florida right now, they might be able to find jobs in his field, but “everything is expensive here, especially rent,” he said.
Besides the new immigration law in Florida, they're worried about recent changes to federal immigration policies to discourage undocumented immigration at the Mexican border and prevent an increase in the number of asylum seekers. Iturvide hopes it could be easier to immigrate to the U.S.
“I came to the U.S. because I felt unsafe in my town [in Mexico],” she said. She hopes the people who might have to flee their cities find other safe places as she did.
