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“A lot of our community right now is feeling scared, not wanting to come here,� said Peters, executive director of the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center. “If you were here last year and the year before, our community looked different.�

Speaking to families at Moton Park in Easton, Peters asked them to keep the local immigrant community in their minds. His appeal comes amid a ramp-up in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on the Eastern Shore, which has spurred similar calls to action by local governments in Easton and Cambridge.

Feelings of fear and uncertainty have been vocalized early this week by many Eastern Shore residents on social media, who have shared hundreds of posts containing photos, videos and reports of unconfirmed ICE arrests.

“ICE was here today and made some arrests. I mean, it seems like they’re here more often than ever,� Easton Councilmember the Rev. Elmer Davis said at Monday’s Town Council meeting.

“It’s deeply troubling that such actions have caused young immigrants to fear attending school, worried that their parents might be taken away,� Davis said. “No one should live in fear in Easton or in this country, and every person deserves safety and opportunity and a chance to live without the shadow of oppression.�

As local officials speak out on residents’ concerns, it’s still unclear just how many arrests immigration agents are making day-to-day. ICE’s Baltimore field office did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Nationwide, immigration arrests have surged since President Donald Trump took office in January. Trump campaigned on stepping up immigration enforcement, promising a mass deportation that targeted criminals.

“Across the country, arrests of criminal illegal immigrants have soared as President Donald Trump makes good on his promise to rid our communities of these threats to public safety,� the White House said in a press release on July 22.

According to the press release, ICE arrests in Maryland have jumped 290% since Trump took office. U.S. Customs and Immigration data from June 29 shows a recent shift from focusing mainly on those with criminal records to arresting those without a record. Out of 57,861 people detained by ICE, 41,495 had no criminal convictions.

Members of the Trump administration maintain that targeting criminals remains the administration’s priority.

INCREASED ICE ACTIVITY

Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas and Cambridge Police Department Chief Justin Todd each issued statements on Tuesday indicating increased ICE activity in city limits.

Cephas said in a statement the city was made aware of Tuesday’s activity “after the fact.� In an interview, she added that she’s contacted Gov. Wes Moore (D), Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.). Cephas said they have been in communication and are collecting information on whether constitutional rights may have been violated in interactions with ICE.

“You don’t have to be a U.S. citizen to have constitutional rights,� Cephas said. “It’s for everybody that has stepped foot anywhere in the U.S. territories.�

Todd said in an interview Wednesday that Cambridge police have received phone calls and video footage from residents of the unconfirmed ICE activity. The department wasn’t previously aware of the activity, he said.

Easton police have indicated they’re aware of ICE activity. But Deputy Chief Greg Wright said Tuesday that the department hasn’t been involved in arrests and cannot provide specific details.

Cephas urged residents not to engage with immigration agents. In a statement, she asked residents to send her photos or videos of “perceived inappropriate actions� by immigration agents, details she plans to forward to Congress members.

Elected officials in Easton shared similar thoughts at Monday’s meeting. Town Council President Don Abbatiello encouraged residents to reach out to Harris, Alsobrooks and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

FEARS

Fears from the immigrant and Hispanic communities in Easton have gained national attention since the arrest of Honduras-born Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a longtime pastor of Iglesia del Nazareno Jesús Te Ama, on July 21.

ICE confirmed Espinal, who came to Easton in 2001, was arrested for overstaying a six-month visa. He is being detained in Louisiana, his daughter Clarissa Fuentes Diaz said. A hearing for Espinal had not been scheduled as of Tuesday, she said.

Protesters calling for Espinal’s return have gathered in Easton the last two Fridays, many of them appealing to Harris, whose congressional district includes the Eastern Shore, to take action.

Harris maintained on Wednesday that his office is in the process of determining what power U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds “in stopping deportations.�

“Once we figure out exactly what the secretary can do, (Espinal’s) will be one of a number of cases where we will ask the secretary to exert the discretion we think she has,� Harris said after an unrelated press conference in Tilghman Island. “But we’re going to determine that first before she makes her ask.�

At recent protests, residents have expressed fear and anger that the pastor was taken from the community. Now, those sentiments are spreading among residents across the Eastern Shore.

At the National Night Out in Easton on Tuesday, Peters said it’s key to continue supporting immigrant communities, especially at events including local officials like police and first responders.

“A lot of people are scared right now,� he said. “And I think at events like this, we got to keep these going to show the solidarity we have with our entire community.�

Reporter Lily Tierney contributed to this story.