Southwest Kansas communities reeling from President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — which included random stops to check status — are looking for ways to recover as fear continues to grip the area’s large Hispanic population.

Restaurants closed, motel managers cancelled reservations and the area’s large beef processing facilities shortened or called off shifts last week as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers rushed in and immigrant employees didn’t show up for work.

Breanna Rutschman, a Dodge City second-grade teacher, said seven of her 20 students were absent the day the agents arrived. The next day, just eight students showed up. Other classrooms in the school were largely empty.

“They’re here to better their situation and improve the lives of their children, and they’re just hardworking and they’re caring and they’re human,” she said. “What’s happening is so inhumane and so cruel, and it’s unnecessary. It’s absolutely unnecessary.”

ICE agents arrived in the area Sept. 22, focusing immigration checks in Dodge City, Liberal and Garden City. The federal government reported making more than 100 arrests. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security Sec. Markwayne Mullin said through news releases that agents were arresting only “heinous criminals”

But on a list including murderers, rapists and drug traffickers he added “illegal aliens with final orders of removal.” Mullin also said ICE agents, who work for Homeland Security, are not arresting people at worksites.

Local officials and advocates say that’s not what happened.

“It wasn’t just criminals, because I’ve been in contact with several schools, and I’ve been in contact with the families directly,” said Janeth Vazquez, vice mayor of Liberal. “The majority of these families did not have any criminal history. These were hardworking, humble, genuine, good people in our communities.”

Census data show that Liberal, Dodge City and Garden City have populations ranging from 55% to 69% Hispanic or Latino.

As word of ICE’s presence spread, Vazquez said, Liberal became a “ghost town,” as people hid.

Federal officers arrested people after demanding proof of immigration status during traffic stops and from employees entering beef processing plants, and based on outstanding warrants, Vazaquez said.

“I’m not just talking about undocumented people. I’m talking about U.S. citizens as well,” she said. “They were racially profiling people and targeting people of color, and so all of those stories were shared across social media. People were terrified to leave their homes.”