Bay Area on edge as deportations threaten both immigrants and citizens
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents knock on the door of a residence during an operation. Photo: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump administration officials are suggesting their immigration crackdown could expand to deporting convicted U.S. citizens and charging anyone who criticizes President Trump's policies — an implication that's heightening anxiety among Bay Area communities.
Why it matters: Such moves pile onto the legal and ethical questions that have surrounded the administration's push to deport immigrants (and in some cases, remove U.S. citizens) with little or no due process.
What they're saying: There's a lot of fear now that it's clear "nobody is safe," Annie Lee, managing director of policy at advocacy group Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), told Axios.
- Lee, who works with Bay Area immigrant communities, said many are realizing that Trump's executive orders aren't narrowly tailored.
- It may start with a specific subgroup, but "that is not how it ends," she said.
The big picture: In San Francisco, about 36% of residents are immigrants as of 2021.
- Among undocumented immigrants, the top leading countries of birth are China and Hong Kong (22%), Mexico (20%) and El Salvador (8%), per the Migration Policy Institute.
- "We talk about immigration so much as though it's only deportation ... but actually they're our co-workers, they're our friends, they're our teachers, grocery store clerks," Lee said. "They're a part of the fabric of our society. And when they disappear, it impacts all of us."
Between the lines: U.S. citizens have been mistakenly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before, including cases this month in Arizona and Florida.
- Three U.S. citizen children were also deported from the country with some family members during an ICE crackdown Friday in New Orleans.
- "People are realizing that this is going to impact all communities," Kerri Talbot, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, an immigration advocacy group, told Axios. "If one citizen can be picked up, then any of us can be picked up and put into proceedings, or labeled a terrorist, or removed to a foreign prison."
State of play: The president said in a recent Oval Office meeting that convicted U.S. citizens who are "homegrown criminals" are next in line to be sent to prisons abroad.
- Trump's team has also questioned the legality of civic groups providing immigrants with "know your rights" trainings on how to respond to federal agents, with border czar Tom Homan suggesting such seminars help people evade law enforcement.
The other side: White House officials have argued that they have an electoral mandate for stricter immigration enforcement and that opposition to their policies is against the will of voters.
Yes, but: Sending immigrants to El Salvador's prison — like in Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia's case — without criminal convictions or due process does not poll well. About 60% were opposed in a YouGov survey.
What's next: CAA and other local community-based organizations like La Raza Centro Legal are ramping up "know your rights" workshops in multiple languages.
- They've also given direct service providers guidance on how to help people access resources amid rampant misinformation, Lee said.
- Both work with the San Francisco Rapid Response Network, a 24/7 hotline people can call to report ICE activity, to verify raids, and to dispatch attorneys for people who need representation.