Fear seeps into immigrants’ lives in San Mateo County

“Any person undocumented would be fearful in this situation,” Rafael Espinoza, a San Mateo “paletero,” or Popsicle salesperson, said in Spanish.

Community members have advised Espinoza not to answer any questions or sign anything if ICE were to come to his home.

The San Mateo County Office of Community Affairs’ Immigrant Services team provides red cards that list what to do if confronted with an immigration agent and the rights of all people in the United States regardless of immigration status. These resources and more information can be found at smcgov.org/ceo/immigrant-services.

“I am fearful personally, but it’s not a fear of being scared, but it’s like feeling abridged from reaching the dreams I had when coming here,” Espinoza said. “If they detain you out of nowhere and you are working on a dream, it suddenly stops.”

Espinoza came to the United States during the pandemic from Mexico, where he was selling cosmetics to earn a living. When the pandemic forced businesses to close, he tried selling pastries to maintain his family. After struggling to provide for his wife and two daughters, he decided to come here.

“All doors closed completely. I didn’t have an option,” Espinoza said. “The opportunity to come here was given to me, so I’m just trying to take advantage of it to the maximum. The United States is a very beautiful place. It has everything you need to grow economically to be someone and do something in life.”

After five years of working here, Espinoza was able to build a house in Mexico for his family and take care of his mother.

“I’m just here to work and move forward in life,” Espinoza said. “The president’s words make it seem like he is harshly going after the community. He uses words like juveniles or even terrorists. How could you think that? The majority of Hispanics are the ones who are working in the fields. That is why there are meals to place on our tables. I have never seen an American bend down and pick up lettuce, cucumbers or strawberries. They are never going to do that. Hispanics are always the bad guys in this story.” 

ICE sightings

In addition to ICE presence in San Francisco and San Jose, agents were also identified in East Palo Alto last week, though it was part of a targeted arrest effort, Adriana Guzman, lead community organizer at Faith in Action, said. The nonprofit runs the county’s Rapid Response Hotline, which allows residents to call when ICE agents are identified to notify the community. The hotline typically sees 30 to 50 calls per week, but more recently, they received 400 calls over a two-day period. They suggest that if ICE comes to your home, work, neighborhood, or there is activity nearby, to call the San Mateo County Rapid Response Hotline at (203) 666-4472 ((203) NO-MIGRA).

“People are impacted by the fear,” Guzman said. “And many times, when rumors are happening, people don’t send their kids to school, clinics receive less patients. ”

Recent executive actions have not just targeted those charged or convicted of crimes. One reverses a sanctuary policy that prohibits ICE enforcement in schools, churches and hospitals. Another focuses on undocumented individuals who have been in the country less than two years. Jenny Horne, supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, said the executive order could apply to those who are trying to obtain legal status and documentation, or have been allowed in the country to apply for asylum. As of the end of 2023, the region’s average time between the initial court filing and first asylum hearing was more than 4 1/2 years, though that number has also likely increased since.

“The executive order is vague and … doesn’t just target criminals, but people who are already on the road to getting resident status,” she said. “That’s been a big concern among advocates, whether it would apply to people who were allowed in to apply for asylum. The EO does not make that distinction. It doesn’t say, ‘except those who entered lawfully to apply for asylum.’”

Deep worries

San Mateo resident Marissa, who did not want to give her last name, is the only one who can provide the full-time care for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s and needs to take her to medical appointments and physical therapy. 

“Next week, my mom has a doctor’s appointment, and my daughters say to me, ‘Mom don’t go out. Now [ICE] can go to the hospitals,” she said. “I’m scared to go out now.” 

San Mateo County does not cooperate with ICE without a judicial warrant. It was one of the last Bay Area jurisdictions to voluntarily comply with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency requests, transferring 15 inmates to ICE custody in 2021 and 21 inmates in 2020. The sanctuary ordinance was passed in 2023. 

In addition to her fear of being detained, Rosy Orozco is deeply worried about being separated from her children — three daughters aged 10, 11 and 12, as well as her 1-year-old baby.

“Our kids were born here and with everything the president is saying, it’s worrisome,” Orozco said. “We already have a settled life here. You see so many things on the news and all you can do is ask God for help. If the time comes and they detain me, I will have no choice but to leave. But the day they take me, it would have to be with my kids. Imagine if they were to separate me from my kids. What would become of them if they were left alone?”

This was a worry that Orozco had until San Mateo County Superintendent Nancy Magee and Hugo Torres, president of the San Mateo County Board of Education, released a statement on Jan. 17, expressing commitment to maintain welcoming and safe schools.

According to the statement, more than one-third of their residents were born outside of the United States and more than half of their children have immigrant parents — like Orozco’s children. 

Staying informed

Iglesia Pentecostal San Mateo’s pastors have also supported the community by helping their members stay informed.

“There is uncertainty of what could happen,” the church’s pastor Alexander Ascencio said. “There are many members in the church that would be affected, but we haven’t seen that stop them from coming. We are trying our best to stay informed and help our members with anything they need. Especially with the false alarms that have come up.”

Orozco has heard of false alarms about ICE being in San Mateo and has been watching a lot of news reports, which has left her feeling traumatized. She heard from other community members that ICE is much harder to spot since some may not be wearing badges or driving a car that identifies them.

“If we left our country, it was for a reason,” Orozco said. “This country has given us so many great things and opportunities. I can’t speak badly of this country. We have started building a house in Guatemala, but if we are still here, it’s for our kids to study and have better opportunities.”

Orozco has been in the United States for 25 years and arrived with her mother and husband. Throughout the years of living here, it has always been her dream to own a house in Guatemala, a goal she has since accomplished.

Now, the property could turn into a safety net in this situation. Orozco fears that if the day ever comes to start from zero back in her country, the drastic change could affect her children.

“The innocent pay for the guilty,” Orozco said. “In this country, there are all kinds of people. Some Hispanics have come to his country and didn’t know how to take advantage of the opportunity and do bad things. Because of them, we all pay for their bad decisions. We are just putting our faith in God.”