When enrollment in a Queens-based pre-apprenticeship program fell more than 50% in February, from 30 to 13 participants, just weeks after President Donald Trump took office, Niblia Coyote began adapting the programming of her nonprofit, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), to meet the needs of the immigrant community.

“We had people that were coming from Bay Ridge or Coney Island to Queens. I spoke with them and they were very afraid of taking the subway because they did not know what could happen during the commute,” Coyote, the executive director of NICE, said. 

She explained that NICE adjusted the pre-apprenticeship program’s duration from six to four weeks to account for those who feel safer committing to shorter term training. “There is a lot of fear to leave their houses, the shelter. They just don’t go [outside].”

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Since President Trump took office in January, immigration enforcement has surged, with ICE detentions increasing fivefold inside the United States. Nonprofits and local officials say fear of deportation is keeping immigrants away from services like employment training, health clinics, immigrant affairs hotlines and more. With fewer people showing up to their doors, community leaders told Documented they are adapting by increasing community presence, adjusting their programming, and teaming up with local organizations and churches to reach immigrant communities amid this time of decreased participation. 

Also Read: Immigrant Advocates Rally in Queens to Protest TPS Revocations

“I think that Jackson Heights, unfortunately, is a reflection of what is happening in other neighborhoods around the country,” Coyote said. She added that foot traffic in Roosevelt Avenue — a street in Jackson Heights where 64% of the population is foreign born — has declined, and that it has resulted in less people visiting the NICE office, which is located there. Residents in the area have also told Documented that immigrants have been afraid of heading out into the streets due fear of ICE enforcement. Some have stopped going to their work altogether, while others have been more selective of the places they frequent. 

By the end of the pre-apprenticeship program — which equips immigrants with job training, financial education, English classes and other essential skills to navigate work and life in New York City — 4 participants dropped out, Coyote said. “We are living right now in this hostile environment, they’re gonna show up even less. And with everything happening at Federal Plaza, people are not gonna show up.”

The pre-apprenticeship program is not the only programming that NICE has had to adjust since Trump took office. Their annual back-to-school fair in Jackson Heights, where local communities receive school supplies, backpacks, and meet with local organizations, was held indoors this August, as opposed to outdoors like it was held in previous years. More than 500 people attended their back-to-school fair last month, which was held inside the premises of 82nd Street Academics. 

“We do not want to put people at risk and we want them to feel safe. So that’s the reason that we moved them to an indoor space, so people would feel safe,” Coyote said, adding: “If ICE comes, we are going to respond and we know what to do. We are not going to allow them to come in.” Partnerships with organizations, churches and schools have been key to fostering safe spaces for immigrants, she said. 

Similarly, the office for the Queens Borough President, Donovan Richards, has also been partnering with local organizations to reach their constituents. “We do a lot of round tables to keep our fringers on the pulse of what is happening around the borough,” Richards said. 

Richards participated in the most recent Colombian independence parade in July and said he saw a drop of attendance by the thousands. He attributed the decline to fears that have stemmed from detentions at immigration courts, and new enforcement policies by President Trump. 

“These policies are hampering the progress that we have made and the values that our borough has always stood for. Our borough [Queens] is the most diverse borough in the Unites States of America,” he said, adding that more than 360 dialects are spoken in the borough every day. “Those values are under attack under the Trump Administration.”

He said his office has continued to reach out to local organizations to spread the word of their services, and participated in community events to encourage all immigrants to continue reaching out to his office and other local organizations to seek the services they need. Richards said that access to these resources, like food pantries, is critical because immigrant families often face higher rates of food insecurity, and ensuring healthy options helps protect children’s well-being even as communities face added pressures.

He said he is pushing for the City Council to add funds for legal assistance for people attending immigration hearings. 

“We are doing everything we can do to make sure that we hold the line and to ensure that there’s a sense of normalcy in the borough.”

Fewer people have also been coming forward to report cases of wage theft or immigration fraud. Since May of this year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office told Documented that they have seen a 48% decrease — from 87 to 45 — of calls made to the Immigrant Affairs Unit hotline which investigates a wide range of scams and conduct, such as wage theft or fake immigration services. With immigrants less likely to report to governmental agencies due to fear of sharing their personal information, it enables bad actors to exploit them — especially at a time when immigration scams have been on the rise, as Documented reported.      

“In Manhattan, we hold bad actors accountable who take advantage of people based on their perceived vulnerabilities,” Bragg told Documented. “Victims and witnesses are central to our work — we cannot build cases without the public’s help.”

Most recently the DA’s office launched a public service announcement (PSA) in Spanish and English that encouraged people, regardless of their immigration status, to report workplace violations and immigration fraud. To reach immigrant New Yorkers, the DA’s office has partnered with dozens of faith and community-based organizations across Manhattan. At a time when fewer immigrants are seeking help or coming forward, Coyote says rebuilding trust is critical: “[Community] is what people are missing right now. So we are maintaining that time for people to come and take the training here because that’s where you build the trust and build the community.”