WESTBROOK (WGME) — A local business in Westbrook says it’s facing a challenge it has never seen before: workplace fear.
“This is an economic crisis,” American Roots Co-Owner Ben Waxman said.
Waxman says ever since ICE increased enforcement in Maine last week, his workers have been calling out over fear they could be detained.
“If my workers don’t feel safe leaving their homes, and they’re in the system playing by the rules, what are we doing?” Waxman said.
American Roots’ workforce is made up of about 70 percent of new Americans, meaning they have gone through the asylum process or hold green cards, but Waxman says they still fear going to and from work.
A local business in Westbrook says it’s facing a challenge it has never seen before: workplace fear. (WGME)
“Our company would not exist without the courage and commitment of the workers who walk through our factory,” Waxman said.
That’s why the company has teamed up with local faith leaders who have formed a “human wall” outside the company’s factory to protect Waxman’s workers against ICE, if they were to show up.
“We are trying to help immigrants as much as possible and stand up for what we believe is true,” Reverend Devin Green said.
Green and the several others who have formed the wall claim they are willing to deal with any potential consequences should they come in contact with ICE.
“That’s what we signed up for and that’s our job,” Green said.
A local business in Westbrook says it’s facing a challenge it has never seen before: workplace fear. (WGME)
Green says the group does more than just form a wall; they also sing songs about love and peace in hopes of alleviating fear among the workers.
Despite the cold, the group has stood in front of the factory every Monday through Friday since last week. They form the wall both in the morning when workers are headed into work and in the evening at the end of their shift.
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“It’s a huge lift, huge lift,” Waxman said.
