New immigration policies strike fear and resistance in Sonoma County
Example of a ILRC red card (Alexa Rios/The Puma Prensa)
Written By: Alexa Rios, executive editor
As a first-generation American citizen, immigration is central to my life. Growing up in a Mexican immigrant household, fear was always present, and my parents taught me what to do if an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE) came knocking on our door. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s (ILRC) Red Cards were kept safely in the glove boxes of our cars, and there was always the phrase, “Si llega ICE, no habres la puerta.” “If ICE comes, don’t open the door.” It’s something that's lingered in the back of many minds. It seems that new information always comes out about the U.S. borders being filled to the brim with immigrants just trying to achieve the supposed “American dream.” Many come from impoverished places all across Latin American countries. You grow up hearing about children taken away from their families, brought to court, and many cannot plead their cases, struggling to do so without any knowledge of the language.
With President Donald Trump in office, there have been many more crackdowns on the deportation of Illegal immigrants. There have been ICE raids across the nation, implementing a widespread fear into the immigrant community. However, various communities in Santa Rosa have started protesting these recent measures, showing a united front and support for the immigrant community.
As a whole, Santa Rosa has a substantial Hispanic population–about 35.8%–with the Roseland neighborhood specifically being the most Latino-dominated. Growing up in Santa Rosa as a Mexican, this is where my family always went for the most authentic food and goods. It’s a wonderful community. However, most recently, it’s been somewhat of a dead zone. Mitote Park is closing, and while it isn’t directly caused by the recent immigration issues, the food trucks add atmosphere to the area. Since both events, Roseland has become quieter than it used to be.
February 3 was A Day Without Immigrants, a response to Trump's recent administrative orders that encouraged immigrants to take the day off from work, school, and anything else. On this day, protesters packed Courthouse Square advocating for the protection of Latino immigrants. The turnout was massive; people waved flags, held out signs, and cried as cars zoomed past. Downtown was much quieter as businesses closed for the day in a sign of protest.
The Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) says that there are over 11 million undocumented workers in the United States. Those people make up 4.8% of our workforce. There’s also a myriad of various stereotypes that have driven some people into believing all immigrants are potentially harmful. The concern is that the people trying to cross the border have been deemed dangerous, in reality most of them are simply trying to find a better life in the US. In the long run, this causes more hate towards certain groups of people, for things they aren’t in control of.
Trump's new agenda has undoubtedly caused controversy and concern. Immigration isn’t a new issue; anti-immigration has been rising since the 9/11 attacks. While it will be hard to deal with in the future, the Sonoma County community has risen to the occasion and has been resilient in doing what it believes is right.