Quick Take
MariaElena De La Garza, CEO of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, takes the threat of immigration agents coming to our community seriously. A Watsonville native from a family with mixed immigration status, she writes that the threat is “deeply personal.” Here, she issues a challenge to the community – get 1,000 Santa Cruz County families registered for a child safety plan. Having a plan would give kids and families a roadmap for what to do if a parent or family member gets deported. We have to do this, she says: “Let our legacy be one of courage, compassion and collective action.”
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“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?’ We have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.”
— Rep. John Lewis
These powerful words from the late Rep. John Lewis ring louder for me today than ever before.
I believe we are living in a moment that demands moral clarity and courageous action.
Across the country — and right here in our own backyard — families are bracing for increased immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have already begun in major cities. We are seeing the direct effects of efforts designed to sow fear and instability in communities across the U.S.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS | CONOZCA SUS DERECHOS
As the CEO of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB) and a Watsonville native from a mixed-status family, I feel the threat as deeply personal. I’ve seen this fear firsthand, but I’ve also witnessed something else — something powerful — courage, love and the fierce determination of parents who want only one thing: to keep their children safe.
In Santa Cruz County and the Pájaro Valley, we know that the backbone of our local economy relies on thousands of families who live in mixed-status households and face a frightening reality: At any moment, their lives could be torn apart — every knock at the door brings fear of separation.
The Childcare Safety Plan (CSP) was created by our community in 2017. It is a direct response to the question, “What will happen to our children if we are detained or deported?”
The CSP Coalition, made up of volunteer local attorneys, nonprofit leaders, educators, community members and public agencies, came together to create a free, bilingual, self-help template. It’s not a legal document — but it is a powerful tool, a conversation starter, a plan.
As people complete their Childcare Safety Plans at CAB, our staff connects and listens to their stories. Like the one of a mother working tirelessly in the Watsonville strawberry fields, rising before the sun each day to provide for her two children. The work is exhausting and pays little, but she does it every day with pride — because her children are her everything. She dreams of a future where they could live without fear.
But fear is a constant shadow. Rumors of ICE raids circulate weekly. And every unfamiliar car or knock at the door makes her chest tighten.
Her fear isn’t just for herself — it is for her children. What would happen to them if she didn’t come home?
She was able to formalize answers to these scary questions through the CSP process, then spoke gently with her children — not to scare them, but to prepare them. She explained who would care for them, where they would go, and reminded them that no matter what happened, they would never be alone. Her heart ached through every word, but she knew this conversation could be the difference between chaos and care.
The Childcare Safety Plan didn’t erase her fear, but it did help her reclaim a measure of control in a life filled with uncertainty. It turned her love into a powerful act of resistance.
Her story is one of thousands. That’s why today, I am issuing a challenge to our community: Let’s complete 1,000 Childcare Safety Plans by Sept. 30, 2025.
Our goal is clear: 1,000 families in Santa Cruz County and the Pájaro Valley should have a Childcare Safety Plan in place by the end of September. We must recommit to this tool as a front-line defense against the injustice of family separation.
But I cannot do this alone.
If you are bilingual or trilingual, you can help. If you’re a parent, student, social worker, teacher, or just someone who cares — this is your chance to take action.
Local community leaders —like the Pajaro Valley Collaborative, Asset Builders Collaborative, Senderos and the CSP Coalition — have already said yes to the challenge. They’ve each committed to completing at least two CSPs by the deadline.
Now I’m asking you to say yes, too.
Start with the people you love — your friends, your neighbors, your church community. Ask if they have a plan. If not, help them create one. Every Childcare Safety Plan takes just 60 to 90 minutes to complete. Resources are available on CAB’s website, and we offer support in English, Spanish and Mixteco.
This challenge isn’t just about numbers. For me, it’s about dignity. It’s about honoring stories like that mother. It’s about showing our families they are not alone. It’s about choosing action over silence. It’s about making sure children are protected, not traumatized, in moments of crisis.
It’s about refusing to look away.
Yes, these conversations are hard. They force us to confront worst-case scenarios. But I’ve learned that the most meaningful work often begins with discomfort. Lean into it. Breathe. Then act.
Let history remember Santa Cruz County and the Pájaro Valley as communities that stood up when it mattered most. Let our legacy be one of courage, compassion and collective action.
Because our children are watching — and one day, they’ll ask what we did.
Let’s make sure we can answer with pride.
MaríaElena De La Garza is the CEO of Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. For assistance with a CPS, she asks people to call 831-440-3556.