STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Esmeralda Ramos was relieved when her daughters left for school the morning after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump became president-elect Trump. It gave her time to think what she would tell the girls, ages 8 and 10, when they came home.

"It was a long night," said Ramos, a Port Richmond resident, who watched the election with her 17-year-old son. While her daughters were born on Staten Island, Ramos and her son are undocumented immigrants.

While the girls tried to stay up to watch, they fell asleep and asked their mom to wake them with any news. Ramos did not.

Instead, in the morning, she let the girls know that Trump had won. Immediately, her older daughter began to cry.

"She cried all the way to school," said Ramos, who came to Staten Island from Mexico at the age of 24. "My younger daughter told me, 'Now what?'."

Ramos is one of many immigrants who shared her story during a meeting this week at El Centro del Inmigrante, a nonprofit organization that has been serving Spanish-speaking immigrants on Staten Island since 1997. She is also among 15,000 undocumented immigrants in our borough.

THIS IS THEIR COUNTRY

Favio Ramirez-Caminatti, executive director of El Centro del Immigrante, said he has been fielding calls and questions since the election culminated on Tuesday night, particularly from the day laborers and domestic workers for whom he provides workshops and training. He is sometimes at a loss for words for the men, women and children who fear the mass deportation Trump has promised.

"How do you explain to a teenager who was brought here as a child, maybe 2 months old, or 5 months old or a year, that they need to move to Mexico?" said Ramirez-Caminatti. "This is their country."



SINGLE MOTHER

Francisca Peralta, a single mother from St. George, was so happy when her daughter was granted temporary deportation relief through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under President Obama. She is one of 380,000 immigrants to receive DACA benefits since 2012, according to statistics from the United States Customs and Immigration Services.

However, now she is terrified that Trump will cancel his predecessor's executive action, as he has said he will do in his first 100 days in office.

"My daughter was 15 when we came here. She finished college here and is working... Suppose he doesn't continue with the DACA?" Peralta said. "Then she'll be illegal."



4 CHILDREN BORN HERE

Araceli Arizmendi, president of El Centro, moved to Staten Island from Mexico 16 years ago. She has five children, one who was born in Mexico and four who were born here.

Arizmendi said she is afraid Trump will send her and her husband, as well as their oldest son who is 21, and several of her neighbors, back to Mexico.

Her daughter Angelli said, "I'm sad." She said her friends at school were mad and upset that Trump won.

"He told everyone he'd deport Mexicans," the 9-year-old said. "I wish Hillary Clinton won."

FEARS OF DISCRIMINATION

Olga Montenegro, who has been on Staten Island since 1989, also was hoping Clinton would win.

"I cried when I heard Trump won," Montenegro said, adding, "I'm scared."

The Port Richmond resident, who moved to the United States from Guatemala in 1985, said her husband became an American citizen -- but she's still working on her paperwork.

Montenegro began to sob as she shared her story, in which she was the victim of fraud. She paid $100 to someone who claimed to be a lawyer to handle her paperwork. When she returned to the office, the people were gone, along with her legal documents and her chances of becoming a U.S. citizen.

Montenegro also notes that her granddaughter, who was born here, cries about Trump's presidential win.

"She feels she will be discriminated against because she's Mexican," Montenegro said.

Ramirez-Caminatti is helping Montenegro, who suffers from diabetes, begin the process again of becoming a citizen, but said she is one of the "many stories" he hears at El Centro del Inmigrante. He listens to their stories and helps them find resources, along with jobs, to put their lives on the right track.

GIVING BACK TO OUR COUNTRY

El Centro del Inmigrante provided more than 4,000 jobs for undocumented immigrants in Staten Island during the last fiscal year, Ramirez-Caminatti noted, and all workers are required to pay taxes using a tax ID number.

"All of our workers have ID numbers and pay taxes," said Ramirez-Caminatti, clarifying a common misconception about undocumented workers.

"We believe here that if you live in this country, you need to pay taxes because you are giving back to the country that provides you a job," said Ramirez-Caminatti.

Ramirez-Caminatti said he is "optimistic" that President-Elect Trump will act justly toward the immigrant population who fears him.

"When you're in the presidential campaign, you are in the game and you need to play it. But the day after the election, you are the leader of the free world and you need to be aware that you will be president of everyone living in this country, including the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country who live, work and pay taxes here," he said.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Ramirez-Caminatti will host a workshop at El Centro del Immigrante on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. The workshop, titled, "What happens now?" will feature a panel of experts, including: the legal staff of El Centro; representatives from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs; the Office of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, as well as immigration lawyers from Staten Island Legal Services.

"We will provide information about their rights and let them know the resources available from different agencies and nonprofit organizations," Ramirez-Caminatti said. "And we will talk about possible scenarios after (Trump is sworn in as president) Jan. 20."

As for Ramos, she will continue to tell her daughters, who are nervous these days when she's a few seconds late for pick-up at school, that they must remain strong.

"I tell them this our president now and this is our country," Ramos said. "We have rights too."