Logan Airport Workers Fear Deportation
BOSTON (CBS) – An immigrant worker at Logan Airport says his dream of becoming a U.S. citizen was stolen.
In January he received a notice in the mail inviting him to a naturalization ceremony. He brought his mother.
"This was like the end of it all. I was really proud. It was at the JFK library," the employee said.
The man spoke to WBZ-TV on the condition of anonymity because of what happened next.
"They check this list and realize my name is not on there and they're like, 'You're going to have to leave. Somebody's going to have to get back to you.'"
Weeks later, he still has not received an explanation.
His green card runs out in a month and a half, as does his Massport ID, which enables him to work at Logan Airport.
He's one of hundreds of immigrants who work in passenger services at the airport.
They take care of day-to-day operations, like pushing wheelchairs, cleaning, offloading baggage, and helping planes park.
"The vast majority are foreign born," says Roxana Rivera, Vice President of the local 32BJ Service Employees International Union. She says the office has fielded countless calls from immigrant airport workers. "Are green cards going to be renewed? If you are applying to be a resident or a U.S. citizen, how what (President Donald) Trump is putting out there is going to affect them."
An airline wheelchair assistant, Sadia Mohamed, says she and many of her coworkers are concerned about their future. She's a refugee from Sudan.
"I think it's not fair because we are immigrants. You know, we are not criminals," said Mohamed.
A Massport spokesperson says the agency is not aware of any impacts on staffing at this time, but union officials say service could suffer if employees are deported.
"The airport itself could not run without the immigrant workers doing what they do," said Rivera.
