Immigration was a central issue at the Republican National Convention in July, where throngs of GOP die-hards clad in crimson MAGA gear cheered their presidential candidate in Milwaukee, waving signs that read, “Mass deportations now!”
President-elect Trump — whose first presidential campaign leaned heavily on birther lies about President Barack Obama’s citizenship — played on immigration fears again in his appeal to supporters. “Vote Republican because we’re going to begin the largest deportation operation in American history,” he told them.
Now headed back to the White House with a Republican-majority Congress, many across the country, including in Richmond and the Bay Area, are expecting that Trump will try to make good on his promise.
It’s unknown how many undocumented people live in Richmond, but the city’s immigrant population is large, according to estimates from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey. Of Richmond’s roughly 114,000 residents, about one-third are foreign-born, including 22,000 non-citizens and another 17,000 naturalized citizens.
Richmond has taken several steps to support its immigrant population: It moved away in recent years from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is deemphasizing policing practices targeting the undocumented community. For example, the Richmond Police Department stopped prioritizing driver’s license checkpoints in 2009, and the city began blocking contracts with companies that provide data to federal immigration authorities in 2018. But some fear that sanctuary cities like Richmond may be targets on the incoming administration’s radar.
“”
“Although this country isn’t our country of origin, we have made this our home. We have a really nice community we have built here with people we know and love.“
— An undocumented Richmond resident
Members of Richmond’s undocumented community and those dedicated to protecting their rights are bracing for an uncertain future by forming rapid response teams and planning other forms of mutual collaboration. Richmondside spoke with several of these community members about how they’re feeling post-election, what they’re anticipating, and how they are preparing for potential impacts locally.
One undocumented residents feels ‘frustrated and angry’
One Richmond woman who is undocumented, who declined to be named in this article due to her fear of deportation, said she has felt the weight of stress in the aftermath of Trump’s victory. [Scroll down to read Cityside’s policy on anonymous sources.]
The woman, who has lived in the Iron Triangle for most of the past two decades and has been involved with organizing the local undocumented community, said she feels frustrated and angry, and finds it difficult to grasp how Trump — ”someone who doesn’t care about the migrant community at all” — was able to win a second term.
Now that the reality is settling in, she said many in the local undocumented community are relying on prior experiences from Trump’s first term to help prepare for the possible threat of deportation — whether that means finding someone else to take care of their children or obtaining legal advice.
“I think what we have learned from the first time is to know our rights,” she said.
For example, she said, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a national group dedicated to advocating for the undocumented population, distributes red cards to local community organizations to inform residents of their rights. And groups such as Faith In Action and Rising Juntos in Richmond have begun surveying residents on their needs and concerns so they can better help those who need support and services.
Yaquelin Valencia, the youth engagement and voting program manager with Faith In Action, has worked on immigration reform campaigns. She also coaches girls soccer, volleyball and softball at Kennedy High School.
Valencia said the organization, which spans 22 states, immediately put out a call to action once it was evident that Trump would win.
“In the last three weeks, we held an immigration network-wide call to see what our leaders and directly impacted folks are feeling and what our allies, those who are documented, are willing to do,” she said.
Rhea Laughlin, executive director of Rising Juntos, which works with families and children across Contra Costa County to advocate for racial justice and immigrant rights, said that many undocumented residents are “terrified” at the thought of mass deportations. There is fear that California, in particular, might become a target for Trump’s policies, she said.
“We are mobilizing to protect families and urge decision makers to do everything in their control to keep our communities intact,” Laughlin said.
Setting up a rapid response and legal representation network, she said, has been a focus for her organization since the election.
“We need our fellow community members to be vigilant and ready to protect one another,” Laughlin said. “Specifically, [to protect] vulnerable families from being separated.”
What is a sanctuary city?
A sanctuary city is a local government that restricts its collaboration with federal immigration authorities. In these cities, local law enforcement and government officials are typically barred from investigating a person’s immigration status or assisting federal agencies like ICE in the detention or removal of undocumented individuals.
Many organizations mobilizing to support immigrant residents
Rising Juntos and Faith In Action aren’t the only organizations mobilizing around this issue in Richmond and across the county. Stand Together Contra Costa and the Contra Costa Immigrant Rights Alliance, among others, are organizing events to notify residents about their rights and legal options.
Valencia and Laughlin believe all of these efforts are crucial. But more action and support will be needed to meet the demands of the moment, they said.
“We need funding for legal support and coordination. We need funding for organizing so residents know their rights and are connected to support networks,” Laughlin said. In addition to resources, the organizations are also calling on local law enforcement and elected officials to declare their support for undocumented communities in light of Trump’s election.
For Valencia, herself a member of a mixed status household — her brother and parents are citizens, while she and two of her sisters are undocumented — the spectre of mass deportations hits close to home.
“I’m between these two worlds,” she said. “There is a lot of fear, especially for family separations. We know people of color are going to be targeted overall, but we feel the main folks are the undocumented.”
Valencia is currently protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was implemented by the Obama administration. But she said many in the community, including herself, fear the program may come to an end under a second Trump administration.
President Trump tried to dismantle the program during his first term and succeeded in weakening the policy, although those who obtained DACA protection prior to July 16, 2021 remain protected. DACA now sits in a sort of legal limbo with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, after a 2022 ruling said the Department of Homeland Security exceeded its authority in creating the program.
The fear of losing protections extends to all non-citizens, Valencia said, not just those who are undocumented.
“I can only imagine what folks with new visas, folks with any type of visa, are feeling,” she said.
One Richmond family recently told Valencia that they are weighing whether to return to Mexico, due to their fear of what might happen.
But for others, like the undocumented Richmond resident, leaving would mean giving up on a place where roots have been established.
“Although this country isn’t our country of origin, we have made this our home,” she said. “We have a really nice community we have built here with people we know and love. The sentiment now is, how do we prepare ourselves for whatever happens.”
Grappling with Trump’s Latino vote
According to a CalMatters report from early November, Trump gained votes in at least nine of 12 California counties where Latinos comprise a majority — many of which are in the Central Valley — a shift that was reflected nationally.
Though political experts haven’t pinpointed any one reason for the change among Latino voters, the undocumented Richmond resident who spoke to Richmondside believes that misinformation spread on social media platforms such as Facebook or WhatsApp are partly to blame for Trump’s apparent increase in popularity among Latinos.
“Folks are easily taken by online posts in Spanish,” she said, adding that she’s suggested to those within her community that they stay away from social media platforms like TikTok for news. “That’s a problem in our community — that our people don’t or can’t get better information than what is the easiest to find.”
Having worked on campaigns with immigrant communities and Latino voters across California, Valencia believes that Trump’s demonizing of Central and South American immigrants during his first presidency served to deepen existing divisions within the Latino immigrant diaspora across lines of class, race and nationality.
“Culturally, I feel like how Latinos portray other Latinos of different countries or different regions, there is a sense of superiority,” said Valencia. “I think the messaging started splitting and dividing the community around that.”
Citing one example, Valencia said a woman she recently helped navigate the citizenship process now posts messages online that are supportive of Trump.
“I get it… you were here undocumented for many years until you got that opportunity to get something,” she said. “[Now] the little something that [you] have is on the line.”
Although Contra Costa County remains solidly Democratic, Valencia believes the stronger support from Latinos in the Central Valley should concern residents. Seeing how many Latino voters turned out for Trump in those counties was “a little scary,” she said. “But it also has to do with the culture and beliefs like individualism and that ‘bootstraps’ mentality.”
Laughlin, meanwhile, is more concerned that a relatively small increase in Latino votes for Trump has shifted the focus away from the fact that an overwhelming majority of white voters chose Trump. According to an Associated Press report, 8-of-10 Trump voters were white while just over half of Latinos supported Harris.
“I find it very curious and concerning,” she said. “Latinos are not in favor of Trump. There needs to be accountability to the white majority who have endorsed the rampant and dangerous racism of the president-elect.”
Cityside’s anonymous sources policy
Accountability and transparency are essential to building and maintaining public trust. Our journalists strive at all times to obtain information on the record and fully attribute facts in their reporting.
In rare cases, Cityside’s newsroom editors will approve the use of anonymous sources. Information provided by the source must be of high public value and not otherwise obtainable from another source. Additionally, every effort will be made to verify its accuracy. The source must demonstrate a reasonable concern of retaliation or negative impact on their livelihood or well-being if they were to be named in a report. We also consider granting anonymity to sources who are not the primary newsmaker or factual source for the story, but whose personal experiences provide a key perspective that would otherwise go untold.
In some instances, we will be interviewing people or reporting on individuals who have endured a traumatic or reputationally damaging experience that was not their fault. We will grant anonymity to victims of certain crimes, especially sexual assault, but we will also strive to confirm any claims they make through official records and other interviews.
As a general rule, Cityside does not allow public officials and their staff members to make anonymous statements. Anonymity will never be granted to express political views, issue personal attacks or denigrate others.
