Unpacking Police and Policing in New York City Through the Lens of Caribbean Immigrants

Immigrant perceptions of the police and policing hold important implications for police departments, police administrators and immigrants. In the aftermath of several police killings of African-Americans and the harsh and oppressive treatment of immigrants during the Donald Trump administration (January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021), immigrants in the United States are becoming increasingly wary of the police. During the past three to four decades, research on immigrant perceptions of police and policing has proliferated, especially in the United States where a large number of immigrants reside. Despite the proliferation of scholarship on immigrant perceptions of police in host communities, research examining Caribbean immigrants’ perceptions of police and policing is almost non-existent. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the current study utilized a qualitative approach to gather data from 37 Caribbean immigrants in New York City (Boroughs of Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island) between June and July 2023 to ascertain their perceptions of the police in New York City. The findings indicate a lack of confidence, high levels of distrust and avoidance of the police in New York City. Five themes emerged from the dataset, namely: (a) bias, (b) poor treatment of Blacks, people of color, minorities and immigrants, (c) unlikable, (d) caring professionals, and (e) avoidance.