Hispanic community still suspect of immigration rumor

10:30 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 27, 2004

By Wendell Edwards / 11 News

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One day after city and community officials denounced a rumor of raids on illegal immigrants, some are still in doubt.

The rumor began last week and prompted some undocumented people to leave their homes, and not even show up at work.

At a giant supermarket in southwest Houston business was bustling Tuesday. Managers say it's a far different picture from late last week when the store was empty.

KHOU-TV Grocery store managers say rumors of immigration raids kept people away last week.

"The customer no coming," says the supermarket manager, Nina Chiartano. "Nobody the store, alone in the morning."

They say rumors of immigration raids kept people away.

Maureco Basquez heard the same news and left his own apartment. "Immigration is going to be here early in the morning," he says. "And I was, like, what? I started picking up some of my stuff, got some of my clothes."

The rumors were so persistent, so strong that community leaders held a town hall meeting Monday night to address concerns.

"We are not conducting raids of mass work sights, that is not the case," says an immigration official at the meeting.

Despite denials from top immigration officials at that meeting, some illegal immigrants left there feeling not so sure. They say they simply didn't believe them.

Lina Benitez is one of them. The mother of two says she lives in fear, scared she could be deported at any time. "The people are fearful of going to the store to shop, to school or to work," she says. "For fear of being detained."

For some that fear is too real to ignore despite the truth.