Locals express fear in Latino communities

National rhetoric, ICE sweeps exasperate fear of racial profiling, possible deportation

The fear of deportation in the Latino community is palpable enough that a rumor over social media about an Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweep at the Marysville Flea Market on Simpson Lane a few months back, scattered hundreds away.

Jorge Duenas, a teacher at Cedar Lane Elementary School in Olivehurst and an organizer of a variety of programs in the Latino community, said he travelled to the flea market soon after he saw the post on Facebook. By the time he arrived, he said the normally bustling market was absent a few hundred people. He credits the social media post for driving Latinos away from the public gathering.

“It is horrible to live under that fear,” Duenas said. “The thing that I see is the outcome.

I see the kids that listen and see how their parents are behaving and it comes to the classroom. They may not talk about it but anytime they feel there is (ICE) activity, their absences increase because they are afraid something will happen to them or their families... some students cannot distinguish if they are legal or not illegal. They even question themselves if they need to hide or stay in public.”

Duenas said there are families who used to go to the supermarket during daylight but have opted to travel at night because of fear of being stopped by law enforcement.

For those protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, a policy enacted by President Obama, which allows some individuals brought to the United States illegally as children to gain temporary status, talks by President Trump about not extending the program has stoked fears at a local level.

Roberto Ortega, student president at Yuba College’s Puente Project, a club designed to create a community for freshman in the Latino community, said three Dreamers (a term used to describe those protected by DACA), were a part of the club last year and expressed concern because of their status.

As the intensity of the rhetoric from the Trump Administration and immigration hardliners increased, the concern over their status grew and the students decided to drop out of the club.

“They felt that people were sort of out to look for them and that the school would be the first place they would search,” Ortega, 20, of Yuba City said. “They felt like since they were in the Puente Project that they would be easy to find. They ended up dropping out because of those concerns. It was OK with us and we let them know they were welcome to club meetings or to speak with one of our professors or counselors if they needed any assistance.”

David Perez, the Puente Project counselor and an advisor to DACA students at Yuba College, said a number of Dreamers have dropped out from college in the past two years. Perez said even the fear from students who are legal but might have family that are undocumented, is keeping people away from attending the school.

“The fear has always been there but it has escalated with the political rhetoric,” Perez said. “There is a lot more fear out there and more uncertainty... In terms of what they are facing, academics is enough to stress any student out. You add the fear of deportations and it can be overbearing.”

Perez said there is a unique dynamic occurring in the state, as the California Dream Act and other types of legislation passed in Sacramento expand resources to bolster the success of DACA recipients.

For all three men, the sense of fear in the community is linked to Trump’s hardline stance and inflammatory remarks about immigrants.

Duenas, who notes fear in immigrant communities has always existed and is not exclusive to this administration, said this is a unique moment in history where social media can have damaging effects in local communities almost instantaneously.

“There is something happening right now that is beyond the topic of immigration,” Duenas said. “One comment by someone who is leading us can bring a big impact to people in this community. That has happened a lot of times. The president has said a few things in a negative way and that has brought some negative impact to the community by the way people are treated or the way they are seen. The fear has increased.”