Central Valley immigration advocates are ‘worried’ for Trump’s second term. Here’s why
As a second Donald Trump administration looms, immigration advocates brace for what’s to come.
Gautam Jagannath, executive director of the Social Justice Collaborative, said he has felt stress since the election results.
“You talk to any immigration advocate, they are scared about Trump 2.0 for so many reasons,” Jagannath said.
Based in Berkeley, the Social Justice Collaborative has an office in Modesto and serves other parts of the region. The organization provides direct legal services and representation, supporting low-income immigrants across Northern and Central California from start to finish in their legal cases.
The demand for nonprofit immigration and legal services is particularly high in the Central Valley, with clients often traveling from as far as Fresno or Bakersfield to receive assistance from the Social Justice Collaborative.
Jagannath said a new Trump administration will significantly impact the collaborative’s work. During Trump’s first term, the organization faced challenges resolving many of its cases due to restrictive policies and procedural hurdles.
“We’re going to throw whatever we can at the system to make sure that we get the best result, and then when the system is making things very hard, it just means we’ve got a lot more hurdles to get through,” he said.
He is also worried that a second Trump administration will be better prepared to implement even more extreme policies. “Because they’ve already done it once, they know what’s going on,” Jagannath said.
During Trump’s previous term, the employment authorization process became significantly more difficult, with extended timelines. Jagannath said that leaving thousands of people in the U.S. without a legal opportunity to work set a dangerous precedent by forcing many into unregulated jobs, increasing exploitation risks and undermining economic stability for families and communities. He stressed the critical importance of employment authorization, particularly for people seeking asylum.
While mass deportations are unlikely to be straightforward, due to individuals’ rights to due process and the requirement for deportation cases to proceed through the courts, that could change with comprehensive immigration reform. It’s a tall order to change the law completely, but Jagannath doesn’t doubt that “somebody with 34 felonies who becomes a president could do it.”
“That could just dramatically change the nature of the work we do. And I think that’s probably one of the scariest consequences that I could imagine, is actual changes to the law,” he said.
Looming uncertainty
Patricia Ortiz, legal director for the immigration program at California Rural Legal Assistance, said she’s hearing a lot of uncertainty from the immigrant community. Many individuals have been reaching out with questions about how their applications might be affected.
CRLA has been working to educate people about their rights within the immigration system. Ortiz noted that preparing for potential policy changes is challenging, because it remains unclear what measures will actually be implemented. For now, the organization is focusing on existing clients, ensuring their applications are thorough and complete.
The organization supports clients with permanent residency and citizenship renewals and encourages eligible individuals to pursue citizenship when possible.
“Regardless of who is president, we will be here, keeping on the work,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said mass deportations would have a devastating impact on Stanislaus County, not only economically but also on mixed-status families that would be torn apart.
“I think a lot of people fail to realize really how vital immigrants are to the U.S. and California and Central Valley,” Ortiz said.
Lise Talbott, chair of the Stanislaus County Democratic Party, said she’s been in talks with local immigration attorneys to determine how the community can help protect families at risk of being torn apart.
The more conversations she has, the more people are realizing the consequences of some of Trump’s policy proposals, she said. Talbott recalled speaking with farmers who initially supported mass deportations, only to later understand how it would significantly disrupt their workforce, which includes many undocumented immigrants.
“Unfortunately, for some folks, I could think it’s going to take what’s to come for them to see they got sold a bill of goods,” Talbott said.
Karlha Arias, president of the Latino Community Roundtable of Stanislaus County, said the organization is prepared to support and empower the immigrant community in the wake of the election.
She emphasized the roundtable’s commitment to educating families about their rights, fostering local partnerships for legal and community support and collaborating with leaders to ensure fairness and justice as policies evolve.
“We believe in the power of unity, advocacy, and education to protect the rights and dignity of every individual,” she said in a statement.
Jose Rodriguez, president of El Concilio, said his organization is working to reassure people to stay calm, as Trump has not yet been sworn in and no immediate changes have occurred.
He has been telling individuals that lawsuits need to be filed, which will delay the process, and that California will do everything possible to protect immigrant communities.
Rodriguez said he’s received calls from people worried about their homes and businesses. Some homeowners are even considering selling their properties to avoid the risk of being deported and left with nothing.
“We want to remain calm, and we want to reassure people that they do have civil liberty,” Rodriguez said.
El Concilio operates an immigrant department whose two attorneys lead “know your rights” seminars to help individuals understand what to do if they interact with law enforcement. They also provide food assistance, help with applications and ensure people have the necessary paperwork in order.
Simply by being on American soil, people have constitutional rights regardless of immigration status.
Those rights include:
▪ The right to remain silent if a person has contact with a law enforcement official.
▪ The right to not open the door to their homes to a law enforcement official.
▪ The right to due process.
▪ The right to have a day in court and to be represented by an attorney.
With agriculture being the leading industry in the Central Valley, Rodriguez emphasized that immigrants make up the primary workforce. He believes deportations could severely impact the region’s economy, noting that some agricultural workers already are hesitant to return to work.
“We’re going to be working very closely to provide the resources and information so that they can hopefully weather the situation, at least for the next couple years,” Rodriguez said.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
