Fears of Trump’s ‘mass deportation’ promise are resonating among immigrants, advocates across the North Bay

Donald Trump’s signature policies during the campaign and over the past decade have been what many North Bay residents consider an extreme stance on immigration. Both Trump and his most fervent supporters have repeatedly called for this “mass deportations” aimed at millions of individuals who have lived and worked in the US for years, if not decades.

As the president-elect prepares to return to the Oval Office in January, immigrant advocates are scrambling to strengthen legal defenses and resources for that community in preparation for what could come under a second Trump presidency.

Officials with Legal Aid of Sonoma County Said they are bracing for possible cuts to legal services and new federal policies targeting many of the vulnerable clients they serve.

Ronit Rubinoff, the nonprofit’s longtime executive director who left his position in September and is now director emerita, said Trump “hit the bull’s-eye on legal aid” during his first term and threatened to cut federal funding for legal services. justice work.

Rubinoff estimated that about 30% of the organization’s funding, which pays for domestic violence prevention, veterans services and housing programs, comes from the federal government. Cuts to any of these programs are especially concerning because the state is facing funding shortfalls, she said.

“We’re looking at a dark tunnel,” she said.

Lideres del Futuro Avanzandoa nonprofit organization that helps families of Latino immigrants and refugees, devoted airtime Thursday on KBBF radio to a segment on the presidential election results and expected changes for the DACA or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“If you are undocumented, remember that politicians come and go, but our success depends on helping everyone locally.” organization said on social media.

The nonprofit advised Dreamers — people who were children when brought to the United States and who have lived under a patchwork of federal reprieves since Barack Obama’s presidency — to renew their applications now, during the final weeks of the Biden administration.

“DACA recipients with six months left on their permits must renew now,” the group said.

Sunny Noh, interim director at Legal Aid, said it is critical that community partners work together to ensure services remain accessible and that community members feel comfortable seeking services regardless of their immigration status.

Legal Aid and its partners will look for opportunities to ramp up programming in response to changing policies at the federal level, Noh said, although it was too early to say what that might look like.

For example, during Trump’s first term, Legal Aid had a guardianship program that helped immigrant families create a safety plan for minor family members if parents were detained or deported. Similar programs could be revived.

“I think everyone is still reeling at this point,” Noh said. “We want to give people the space to process that and as soon as we can get our bearings, we will map out strategies and get started.”

Sonoma State University political science professor David McCuan emphasized that large-scale deportations of undocumented immigrants would be devastating to the local economy, especially the local agriculture and wine industries.

Matt Heath, chairman of the Republican Party of Sonoma County chairman, the reaction to Trump’s promise of mass deportations has been exaggerated. He said that when Trump talks about deporting immigrants, he is talking about “criminals.”

“I do not believe that our employers, our great farming and agriculture community and our construction companies here in Sonoma County are hiring criminals,” he said. illegal land.”

He said Trump is referring to the crimes immigrants commit in their own country and on the way to the border, as well as the crimes they commit after crossing the border.

Doris Gentry, president of the Napa County Republican Central Committeesaid she doesn’t believe local vineyards and wineries employ undocumented workers. She said Trump’s plan to deport undocumented immigrants would have little local impact.

“I know we use seasonal workers on many of our farms, but even there we use documented workers. So that will have no effect on Napa,” she said. “I don’t see Napa losing employees over the mass deportation issue. And there are so many people looking for work, I don’t think it would be a problem if we lost employees.”