It is hard to reconcile the harsh rhetoric coming out of the White House about illegal immigrants with the largely hard-working and law-abiding people who work for, with and among us on the Island.

Now well into its second generation, the Brazilian community on Martha's Vineyard is deeply rooted and has become a vital part of the Island's economic and cultural mix. Brazilians form the backbone of the Island service and trades economy; they own businesses and work at the hospital and in the banks; they hold government positions and are volunteer firemen and EMTs. Many of their children were born here and are high achievers at the regional high school who go on to top colleges. Portuguese is the predominant second language spoken around the Island. You can hear it in the hardware and grocery stores, on the soccer fields and in town libraries.

Their ranks range from naturalized U.S. citizens to visitors that have overstayed their visas. Few are completely undocumented; many report in regularly to immigration officials who hold the keys to whether and when their lives might suddenly change.

And while many Islanders may be morally offended by news accounts of crackdowns and raids by officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, children separated from families and horror stories from detention centers near U.S. borders, for our Brazilian neighbors, the threat is very real.

Rumors sweep the Island regularly about the presence of ICE. Attorneys and others who work with the immigrant community on the Island underscore the atmosphere of uncertainty. There is no clear rulebook any more for how laws will be enforced or who might be targeted, they say.

And then too there are pockets of prejudice and resentment against Brazilians on the Vineyard; these are hard to fathom. They include people who seem to have conveniently forgotten how their own ancestors arrived here.

The Island's long history as a community of immigrants dates at least to the late nineteenth century when large numbers of Azorean and Cape Verdean people — filling dirty, unwanted jobs in the whaling industry — ended up settling here.

Today that Portuguese heritage is celebrated through Island food, culture, religion and festivals around the Island.

It took more than two generations for that immigrant community to fully assimilate, and it clearly will take longer for the Brazilian community here too.

This country badly needs a coherent immigration policy, one that deals humanely with the need to control our borders and the reality of accommodating people who, regardless of how they arrived, are now contributing members of society.

In the meantime, here on Martha's Vineyard, we can offer solace, support and assistance to our neighbors who contribute so much to this Island.