Threatening postcard inflames fears of Bay Area deportations

Immigrant farmworkers in Half Moon Bay are fearful about their future in the U.S. if President Donald Trump's mass deportation raids become a reality.

According to the nonprofit La Cooperativa, between one-third and half of all America's farmworkers live in California, totaling about 500,000 to 800,000 people. The group said 75% of those workers are in the U.S. illegally.

Threatening postcards

What we know:

While there have been no raids in the Bay Area, fear persists, especially after a local nonprofit and a farmworkers union received threatening messages that read, in part, "There is nowhere to hide," along with the website for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Staff with the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS) in Half Moon Bay visited farmworkers on Wednesday.

"It's very important for our community to know they are not alone, that we're standing with them and we're here to work together," said ALAS Director Sandra Sencion.

The nonprofit's outreach team said there are deep concerns over Trump's executive orders and changes in immigration policy calling for mass deportations.

Community activists have been distributing information and red cards, which provide legal information and rights in English and Spanish.

Red Cards

Big picture view:

Red cards let people know of their rights and protection under the U.S. law.

According to Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), red cards "help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home."

Former Half Moon Bay Mayor Joaquin Jimenez said, "The cards pretty much give you your rights: Stay silent, don't answer any questions. If you are detained, ask for an immigration attorney, and don't sign any documents."

Fear looms

Local perspective:

Jimenez said he has received phone calls from workers afraid to come to work.

"A local restaurant did not open, then other restaurants — some of the workers did not show up," he said. He added that "Children are worried about what could happen. And if their parents are being detained, what's going to happen to the children?" 

One man, whose name is being withheld, said he has been in the U.S. for 25 years and is a landscaper.

"I do landscaping, and it's been difficult to find employment, especially with these new laws," he said through a translator.

He worries about his two sons, ages 21 and 15, who were both born in the U.S. and are citizens under birthright laws.

"I have a son who's going to school, he's in college and I have a 15-year-old son who needs support," the man said.

Related

What to do if ICE shows up in California: Immigration resource guide

Immigrant rights advocates say don't speak to ICE agents and ask for an attorney. They also say that ICE needs a warrant signed by a judge to enter your home.

Birthright citizenship automatically grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigration status. However, Trump issued an executive order on Monday to block birthright citizenship. Whether it succeeds is far from certain amid what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle.

Fears are elevated as ALAS received a threatening postcard in the mail.

"Pack your bags, Trump's coming," it read. "There is nowhere to hide."

The mail was postmarked from Oakland.

The farmworkers union, United Farm Workers, received similar mailings.

"We were all just horrified, like we were already feeling very vulnerable," said ALAS founder Belinda Hernandez-Arriage. "The community is feeling scared. There's a lot of emotions running high, and it's an emotional time."

‘Scare tactic’

What they're saying:

California leaders have vowed to take legal action if the Trump administration oversteps its bounds and tries to force state and local law enforcement agencies to conduct deportations.

"This is a scare tactic, plain and simple. The President is attempting to intimidate and bully state and local law enforcement into carrying out his mass deportation agenda for him," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. "My team is reviewing the U.S. Department of Justice’s memo, and we’ll be prepared to take legal action if the Trump Administration’s vague threats turn to illegal action."

California state law SB 54 blocks state and local law enforcement from carrying out federal deportations. It does not prevent federal agencies like ICE from conducting deportations.

Bonta explained SB 54 further "what it says is that they (federal government) cannot make us do their jobs for them."

The Source: Information for this story comes from interviews and previous reporting.

ImmigrationHalf Moon Bay