Thread: ‘They moved away’: Immigrants leave area amid legal crac

‘They moved away’: Immigrants leave area amid legal crackdown, economic lag

By Angela Mapes Turner

Empty chairs in classrooms. Empty apartments and trailers. Seats filled on buses leaving Fort Wayne.

These are the signs, though subtle, of a population in distress.



Tougher immigration enforcement and the recession might have slowed the tide of immigration to northeastern Indiana in recent months or even reversed the trend, as immigrants, both legal and illegal, leave in search of work.

In larger cities such as Fort Wayne, their absences might not be as noticeable, but people with connections to the local immigrant population say many immigrants have left or are considering leaving.

In smaller communities where they’ve made their homes, such as the Noble County city of Ligonier, the decline is easier to see.

It’s difficult to know how many are leaving when no one can say how many were here. The Pew Hispanic Center, a non-partisan research institute, estimated there were 50,000 illegal immigrants in Indiana early this decade. But an expert from the center told a legislative study committee last year the number could be closer to 100,000.

Most immigrants in Indiana – an estimated eight in 10 – are from Mexico or other Latin American countries, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Ligonier’s West Noble School Corp., which last year had the highest percentage of limited English-speaking students in the state, has especially noticed the decrease.

Of West Noble’s enrollment of more than 2,600 at the school year’s start, more than 1,050 were Hispanic students.

Of course, not all those Hispanic students are immigrants. Many are U.S. citizens, a generation or two removed from their ancestral homelands.

But the dwindling numbers shed light on what’s happening throughout the community, said Melanie Tijerina, the West Noble district’s English as a New Language coordinator.

By late February, nearly 50 Hispanic students had left the district, at least 20 from West Noble Elementary School, where Tijerina is assistant principal.

Tijerina worries not only for those who have left but also for those left behind.

During a sledding outing this winter, Tijerina said she asked a young Hispanic boy why he wasn’t playing with his friends. The boy’s reply made her realize how deeply the community has felt the recession’s punch.

“I don’t have any friends,â€

[quote]During a sledding outing this winter, Tijerina said she asked a young Hispanic boy why he wasn’t playing with his friends. The boy’s reply made her realize how deeply the community has felt the recession’s punch.

“I don’t have any friends,â€