Bay Area farm workers worried ICE raids in SoCal could be a harbinger
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - As the week draws to a close, some Half Moon Bay farmworkers picking Brussel sprouts near Highway 1 are keeping their eyes and ears open for activity involving ICE agents.
"There's been a lot of fear in our community. Locally, the community is heightened in anxiety and fear. And we're seeing the effects in our local communities based off what they're seeing in the media," said Sondra Sencion, farmworker program manager at ALAS.
The images from Ventura County on Thursday of ICE agents arresting farmworkers and clashing with demonstrators has sent shock waves across the state to the Bay Area. Even before the controversial incident, anxiety was on the rise.
KTVU spoke with Half Moon Bay worker Felix Torres on Jun. 13, when ICE raids began intensifying.
"It's very sad for the children, for example, who may have been born in this country and their parents may not be documented," he said at the time with the help of an interpreter.
Migrant advocates said many of the people asking for help are also showing up for work and now fear they could be targeted next.
"There's been a few times where we had vehicles here in the area, and members of our community approached the vehicles to ask if they were ICE?," asked former Half Moon Bay mayor Joaquin Jimenez Urena. "We have confirmed that they've been here twice. And we're worried, and we're upset about what's going on in other parts of California."
Advocates and officials said they are continuing to provide services to those unsure of what to do.
Immigration attorneys said watching and cataloging the movements of ICE agents, and not running from the agents, could be a better course of action.
"I would say keeping an eye on them lets us know if rights are being violated? Is the way they're going about it correct? Is there potentially, as we've seen in other jurisdictions, a lawsuit down the line if they aren't engaging in these enforcement actions constitutionally?" said Patricia Ortiz, legal director for California Rural Legal Assistance. Added Sencion, "We are visiting the farms on a regular basis, providing resources continuing to educate our farm-working community about their rights, the Rapid Response Line and how it works."
As daylight began to fade on Friday evening, many people working fields across the state and county were hopeful that in the not-too-distant future they would see a day at work without the fear that currently grips them.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay Bureau. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.
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