More than 120 kids are enrolled in the program, but after news of the Border Patrol operation spread, only “eight showed up,” the director said.
A massive Border Patrol operation in Southeast Louisiana has resulted in more than 500 arrests. Though it shows signs of slowing down, many in the region are bracing for the long-term economic and psychological impacts to come.
A youth soccer program in Kenner has been closed for nearly two months now. It is one of many businesses and organizations still struggling to reopen.
“We have over 120 kids,” said Rocio Tirado, Jambalaya Soccer Academy’s program director.
She said that nearly all of her students were born in the U.S. But many of their parents, even those with work permits, driver’s licenses, or Social Security cards, are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being confronted by Border Patrol.
Once news began to spread in November of the coming Border Patrol operation, Tirado said “eight [students] showed up. Ten on a good day.”
After Thanksgiving, she made the decision to pause the program.
So far it has meant weeks of missed practices and a canceled Christmas party. The plan was to reopen this week, but Tirado said Monday that there still weren’t enough families willing to come back.
Once there are, she expects logistical challenges, like not having enough players to form a team in each age group and parents afraid to drive out of town to tournaments.
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She also worries about the quasi-shutdown’s impact on the kids’ health.
“Just think about it, you have kids that have been in their houses and they’re not going anywhere– not even to the supermarket with their parents…so just imagine these kids are now going out to play. Mentally, it’s going to be bad,” she said.
It is difficult to say where the Border Patrol operation stands today. WWL Louisiana has reached out repeatedly to the agency since December asking how many people have been arrested in Southeast Louisiana since it began. It has not received a response since early in the operation. On Jan. 9, the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reported 560 arrests.
Advocates who work closely with the area’s immigrant population have said recently that there seem to be fewer agents on patrol and fewer arrests being reported. But weeks of staying home have left many families in need, said Ceci Gomez, a volunteer with the organization Unstoppable Kenner.
“It is absolutely still going on. People are still afraid. Some people lost their jobs. So how are they going to feed their kids?”
That reality has also translated into a tough financial situation for Jambalaya Soccer Academy, something repeated across many businesses in Kenner.
“Not just the Latino community, not just the immigrant community, our community– our whole community– is going to be very impacted in a few years, maybe a few months,” said Tirado.