BEFORE >>What for years had been the beating heart of the Dominican community in Puerto Rico is now a city under siege. At ten in the morning on a hot, idyllic May day, the streets of Barrio Obrero — located in San Juan, the capital of the U.S. territory — are nearly empty. “Before, by this time you could already hear the
velloneras,” laments Pastor Nilka Marrero, who has spent over a decade serving the area’s immigrants. She’s referring to the record-playing machines in the businesses surrounding the neighborhood’s main square, once a lively gathering spot that today stands deserted. “They used to play salsa: ‘
Del Barrio Obrero a la 15, un paso es…’” she sings, quoting Puerto Rican salsa artist Willie Rosario, as she taps out her own rhythm on the table. But not anymore. Months of immigration raids ordered by the Trump administration have silenced this neighborhood, where the fear of being detained or deported is overwhelming.
AFTER🏙️ Barrio Obrero in San Juan faces silence due to immigration raids.
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