Fear grips Sacramento immigrants amid rumors of ICE presence
The recent ICE raids in Los Angeles have sparked fear among immigrants in Sacramento, even though no large sweeps have been reported in the area, leading many to fear leaving their homes. Hundreds of miles away from Los Angeles, fear is front and center in the lives of people without status. A day laborer in south Sacramento described the fear that drives them to risk going out to work despite the anxiety. "We always come with fear, but we can't stay home. We always have a need to go out and work, that's why we risk coming here," the laborer said. On Tuesday, dozens of people fled the area when they spotted law enforcement activity, fearing the presence of ICE. "Some left running, others left in their cars. I got in a car and we left," the laborer added."We are getting an influx of calls of community members who are in panic – both, those who don't have status and those who have family members who don't have status, or just friends," said Giselle Garcia from NorCal Resist. "They're just worried that when they see unmarked vehicles that it might be ICE."However, no ICE activity was confirmed in the area. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office responded to a trespassing report and reiterated that they do not work with ICE. KCRA observed unrelated activity across the street. "I just got back and they told me that it wasn't ICE. I don't know who they were, but we always return with the intention of finding a job," the laborer said.Workers in the area reported seeing social media posts about ICE presence, but these have not been confirmed. Garcia emphasized the importance of not using the current political climate for clickbait."It's very important for the greater community to know that this moment, this political moment in time, is not to capitalize for clickbait and views and likes and follows because very real people are being impacted," Garcia said.NorCal Resist has ramped up their "Migra Watch" hotline services and is recruiting volunteers for their mission, which includes "Know Your Rights" trainings and documenting active arrests. Garcia also highlighted that immigration issues are not limited to Latinos. "As an organization, we want to emphasize that this isn't just a Latino issue. I think we think immigration – we think Latinos. No, this is a global issue. Our organization alone has helped people from Russia, Haiti, from all of Latin America. We have a big Afghan community that we help," Garcia said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
