Quick Take
Federal immigration officers arrested local handyman Adolfo Gonzalez on Jan. 28. We still don’t know enough about why. He had spent 22 years in Santa Cruz County and had three DUIs, yes, but why he was targeted, why on that day and why – after two decades in the U.S. – wasn’t he allowed to pack a bag or take his phone with him when federal officers deposited him in Mexico? We understand immigration policies need reform and are changing under Donald J. Trump. But can’t ICE operate more humanely?
Editor’s note: A Lookout View is the opinion of our Community Voices opinion section, written by Community Voices Editor Jody K. Biehl and Lookout Founder Ken Doctor. Our goal is to connect the dots we see in the news and offer a bigger-picture view — all intended to see Santa Cruz County meet the challenges of the day and to shine a light on issues we believe must be on the public agenda. These views are distinct and independent from the work of our newsroom and its reporting.
We can’t stop thinking about Adolfo Gonzalez.
He spent 22 years working as a handyman in our region and then on a Tuesday morning in January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents picked him up outside his Santa Cruz house and deported him to Mexico. All he got to take was his Costco card.
It’s apparently the first local implementation of President Donald J. Trump’s immigration crackdown and it makes us wonder what is coming next. The Lookout story about Gonzalez, written by Christopher Neely and Tania Ortiz, got the most views of any story published on a Wednesday in Lookout’s four-year history. So, we know you are thinking about his case, too.
We still don’t know enough about what happened – and that troubles us. We don’t know what triggered ICE agents to show up at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 28 and arrest Gonzalez as he walked to his truck. He had three DUIs, the most recent one in 2023 in San Mateo County. He appeared in court for that violation, and he told Lookout he believes that’s why ICE got his name.
Is it?
Knowing that detail matters. The arrest shocked us all and ignited even more fear among the vast number of undocumented people in our community, many of whom fuel our agricultural and tourism industries, but also many of whom are students, skilled workers and activists. Some are Dreamers, the parents of Dreamers and business owners who are now terrified the lives they have built for decades will suddenly get upended.
Fear makes a terrible life partner and it’s deadly for community spirit. It keeps people home, away from health care, education and participation in government. In November, Watsonville passed Measure V, which allows undocumented residents to serve on city boards and commissions.
Who will volunteer now?
ICE agents confiscated Gonzalez’s cellphone and wallet and left him in Tijuana with only a Costco card. Why? Is that the standard policy? Who kept his belongings?
Yes, we have an immigration problem in this nation. But can’t ICE operate more humanely? Is empathy passé?
Gonzalez told Lookout correspondents he signed forms – likely a deportation agreement – without understanding them. Then he got dropped in Tijuana. What if he had called a lawyer, as immigrants-rights advocates suggest? Would he still be in Santa Cruz?
Today, Gonzalez is living in Cuautitlán, outside Mexico City with his 39-year-old daughter Fabiola, whom he hadn’t seen since she was 15, and his 2-year-old granddaughter. That makes him luckier than many who face deportation. He has a safe place to rebuild. He also has friends in our community who will sell his clothes and tools and send him money to begin again.
In an interview with Lookout’s Tania Ortiz, Gonzalez said he can’t argue with the deportation, that he committed “three serious mistakes,” which he believes caused ICE to target him: “If I hadn’t made the mistake of drunk driving, I would’ve been able to continue living my life, working and being with my friends in Santa Cruz.”
We appreciate his candor. His sense of responsibility. His humility. We also wonder if he is right. Will those who don’t make “mistakes” be safe?
On Nov. 7, just days after the presidential election, a phalanx of elected officials stood side by side and pledged support for our immigrant community. Santa Cruz recently renewed its status as a sanctuary city. We’ve reported on community groups hosting “Know your Rights” events and vowing to protect our community. Is any of it meaningful? ICE arrested Gonzalez on the very street where the Santa Cruz mayor lives.
And no one knew it was coming.
We understand federal policy is changing rapidly and – like all of us – city officials and law enforcement officers are struggling to catch their breath. Not cooperating with ICE also means ICE won’t cooperate with local officials or tell them when its agents are coming.
But where does that leave our community? Who among us could be next?
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