NAPLES, Fla. – I often visit the Hispanic part of this city. I prefer this neighborhood; it’s more human, more welcoming than the opulent oceanfront mansions of American billionaires. I even have a monthly membership at a car wash here, where almost everyone who works is probably undocumented. They are incredibly friendly, greeting me from afar, waving and always offering to help.
Everyone feels like a friend.
On the first day of Trump’s presidency, I inadvertently wandered into the car wash. The place offered free vacuuming, and the small garage there was usually packed with people. But that day, it was empty. A feeling of deep sadness hung in the air. I had a bad feeling.
A bored white guy was standing at the car wash. I had never seen him before and he didn’t say hello. Had he replaced the workers who had been there before? I walked into the store and asked, “Where’s Jose?” The cashier, a young woman, looked down.
Jose was my friend. He knew my family and I knew his, at least from photos. Jose came to the United States alone and sent money home, working for the day when he could bring his family back.
The cashier finally broke the silence: “Jose is no longer here.” I knew we were friends, that we joked a lot. He had always been there to help me. Now, he was gone. “And the others?” I asked. “They are gone too,” she replied.
I was speechless. Were people just disappearing?
“They had just left,” he explained. “If I had known, I would have given José some money as a token of friendship, but he didn’t even dare take that risk. The last time he shook my hand firmly, looking me in the eye as he said goodbye, I should have known.”
I stood there, stunned, with a deep emptiness and pain. They had taken my friends, people who were part of my life and who now had to flee and hide in the “land of the free.” That’s fascism: neighbors who disappear, who slip away into the shadows.
I wonder what life will be like without the migrant community here. Everything will seem emptier, poorer. Will life really be better without them? Did these people, who, as we say in Hungarian, “worked for a miserable wage,” really disturb the happiness of Americans?
And for the rich people who fly here in their private jets like kings, surrounded by staff who cater to their every whim to make sure their golf clubs are perfectly aligned, who will mow their lawn in 110-degree heat? Who will tend to their gardens, work in the fields? How many businesses will go under? How many Joses will disappear? Will there be raids even on Trump's hotels?
These people have always contributed to the creation of America. They lived and worked here under the law of supply and demand. It is not their fault that the immigration system collapsed decades ago, leaving them without a legal avenue to enter the country. But their work was invaluable; they enriched this country.
There are exactly as many undocumented workers in the United States as the economy needs. If they don't work, they starve; there is no welfare to "live on."
And yet, it is ironic that these migrants are forced to flee while Trump pardons 1,600 people convicted of the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2020, some of whom violently attacked police officers. Compared to them, what crime did José commit?
However, the raids are coming They will attack schools, terrorize children; they will invade churches, not taking into account that these are houses of God, a refuge for the persecuted. This is blasphemy, and yet the heavens do not open.
At Trump's post-inauguration prayer service, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde He addressed the president directly , urging him to be merciful and compassionate towards immigrants, foreigners and all those he has attacked. His words, it seems, fell on deaf ears.
Jose and his companions did not take anything from the Americans. They were the ones who were exploited. If America were truly great, it would allow people like them to live and work here in peace, legalize their status, and bring their families here. Hate is not great. Love is.
I don't know where Jose is, but wherever he is, may God bless him. God hears the cries of people like him. America is losing a lot, not only physically and economically, but above all, morally. The pain that has been installed by the car wash will spread throughout America. A country that persecutes its people into hiding cannot be happy.
Jose, wherever you are, know that there are good people here who love you. May God bless you and keep you. Thank you for your kindness, your help, and your friendship.
My family is heartbroken, we are all in shock at the news. We hope you will return one day.
Laszlo Bartus is the owner and editor of American New Year , the oldest Hungarian-language newspaper in the country, based in New York City.
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