Quick Take
Undocumented immigrants say they are avoiding the news and making family contingency plans as they and local advocacy groups prepare for Donald Trump's return to the White House in January.
Olga Cruz felt a weight lift off her shoulders after spending a recent Saturday morning sitting in the cafeteria of Watsonville High School learning about the rights she has as an undocumented immigrant.
Cruz’s four children — especially her youngest, who is 8 — have been asking what will happen to their family following the election of former president Donald Trump to a second term. Cruz, an agricultural worker who has lived in Watsonville for more than a decade, has been trying her best to ease the worries of each of her children, the eldest of whom is 16, by not having the news on the TV as much, she said.
“I don’t want my kids to have that burden,” said Cruz, who is among an estimated 19,500 undocumented immigrants in Santa Cruz County, many of them farmworkers like herself.
Since the November election, Cruz and her husband, who is also undocumented, have been taking precautionary steps they hadn’t considered before — including making arrangements for their children’s care should they face deportation.
Local advocacy groups like the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project (SCCIP) and Community Action Board have been putting their energy into organizing several “Know Your Rights” workshops, such as the one Cruz attended, that educate undocumented immigrants on their constitutional rights and provide free legal consultations.
County leaders have similarly pledged their support to the immigrant community days following the Nov. 5 election, and affirmed that they still can access health services without the risk that their information will be shared with federal immigration authorities. The sheriff’s office also clarified that a state law prohibits local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
Groups like the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project say they have also seen increased interest in “red cards” — cards that detail the rights of undocumented individuals written in Spanish, such as not opening the door if an immigration agent shows up. The cards were high in demand during the first Trump administration.
“They’re high in demand again, not so much from the immigrant community, but from immigrant-serving organizations and others,” said the organization’s interim director, Kate Hinnenkamp. “So, we are going to have a distribution plan to get those out into the community.”
The cards are a tool to help undocumented immigrants gain confidence in asserting their rights, since they can refer to the card if they encounter an immigration agent, she added.
However, undocumented residents and advocates say the anxiety of another Trump presidency is different this time around. Unlike the panic that followed Trump’s first victory in 2016, when immigration offices saw lines out their doors, the response has so far been more measured.
SCCIP helps immigrants across the county and the Pajaro Valley acquire legal status, reunite with family members and access pathways to citizenship if they are eligible. In 2016, the organization saw lines out the door of its office filled with people worried about their options, Hinnenkamp said. She doesn’t see the same urgency this time around.
“Here on the Central Coast and in California, in general, we’re very fortunate to have a community that’s very supportive of immigrants and very responsive,” she said.
Hinnenkamp speculated that people have become less responsive and instead plan to wait for Trump to unveil a specific policy on immigration. It could also be that community members are feeling worn down by the anti-immigration rhetoric throughout the election season and are taking things day by day, she added.
“Right now, nobody knows what’s going to happen. We won’t know until he enters the White House,” said Watsonville resident Carmen Lopez. “Anything can happen.”
Lopez said she feels more at ease knowing local officials are rallying behind immigrants. “I was wondering how the community was going to react,” she said. “The agriculture workers are the backbone of Watsonville, and many of those people are undocumented.”
Some, like Cruz and Lopez, also say they are deliberately tuning out the news because internalizing too much information can create unnecessary fear. “It’s better to receive the information that you need to know as a precaution, and to avoid feeling caught off guard should anything happen,” Lopez said.
Lopez and Cruz were among 77 people who filled Watsonville High School’s cafeteria on a Saturday earlier this month for the “‘Know Your Rights” workshop organized by SCCIP.
Ten immigration attorneys provided free consultations, while lawyers detailed constitutional protections that apply regardless of immigration status. Hinnenkamp said the immigration project will be organizing more workshops in the new year and also plans to record a video version of the presentation portion in the future.
During the first hour of the workshop, lawyers Lizett Rodriguez Peña and Claudia Abasto explained that immigrants have the same constitutional rights as U.S. citizens. They are protected against searches and seizures without a warrant, can’t be arrested without a valid reason, and if they are detained, they have the right to remain silent, said Rodriguez Peña.
The lawyers also told the group to be careful if they encounter an immigration agent in public, such as by not offering too much personal information. They also showed examples of what to look for if immigration agents show up at their door with a warrant. Warrants must be signed by a federal judge, not an immigration agent, Rodriguez Peña said.
Abasto also warned community members to be aware of scammers posing as federal immigration officials and showed examples of scams people have received. People have lost thousands of dollars to scammers, she said.
Attendee Caretina Maya, who is undocumented, asked several questions throughout the almost hourlong presentation. She felt she came away with most of her questions answered and a greater understanding of what she can do to protect herself and her loved ones, she said. She plans to share the information with family members who are still hesitant to talk about the potential risk of deportation under a second Trump administration.
Lopez, like many at the workshop, attended solely to talk with an attorney. Her family is of mixed status — which means some family members have legal residency while others like Lopez do not. They have established a plan, in case anything were to happen, Lopez said. Her husband’s parents have legal residency status and can help care for her children if she were to get deported, she said.
Lopez is currently in the process of acquiring her residency status through her husband’s family, she said, but the process is taking longer than she’d hoped for, and she attended the workshop to find out if there is any way to expedite the application, she said.
While she said she’s not yet worrying about what will happen once Trump takes office, getting her residency status would bring her family a sense of security, Lopez said: “We’ll be able to live a bit more peacefully in the United States with legal documentation.”
Cruz wasn’t aware of her rights as an immigrant before attending the workshop. Now, she feels more secure knowing what steps she can take if she finds herself targeted, like refusing to sign any documents until she has a lawyer and knows that her children will be in the proper hands, she said.
“All we can do is stay informed and protect ourselves,” Cruz said.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.