Various North Bay industries, from landscaping to hospitality, express anxiety over their workforce as fear of mass deportation rises among immigrant workers.
JEFF QUACKENBUSH, CHERYL SARFATY AND SUSAN WOOD
6 minute read
From landscaping and construction to hotel services and auto repair, immigrants play a critical role in the local economy.
On Feb. 3, that message was amplified during the national “Day Without Immigrants,” a movement that included a protest by several hundred in Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square.
The daylong demonstration was meant to show how important immigrants are to the communities in which they live and work.
That message was loud and clear among North Bay business leaders. They are working to quell fears among their immigrant workers and ensuring all documentation is in order. Some business owners are also waiting for clear guidance from state leaders.
Attorneys are also getting involved.
The phone has been ringing nonstop at K & G Immigration Law in Santa Rosa, founder and partner Liliana Gallelli said.
Since President Donald Trump’s reelection, concern over mass deportations has risen sharply among immigrants with no legal status — and even for some who do have it.
A Solano County inventory manager named Randall, who did not want his last name revealed out of concerns for his safety, contacted Gallelli over his worries any one of his family members could be deported since none has legal status.
“Last week, I woke up thinking of my kids,” the 46-year-old Vallejo man told the Business Journal. He and his wife have three children — ages 9, 19 and 25.
Randall, whose wife works at a restaurant, came to the U.S. from Guatemala in December 2018. His visa has since expired.
“We’re preparing for the worst case scenario,” he said. So much so, that he and his wife don’t ride together, so if one is taken into custody, the other one would be left to take care of the family. He’s most concerned about his son working in construction because he believes he’s an easy target at a site.
“Things have really ramped up,” Gallelli said. “Before, they were targeted operations.”
She listed a few probable criteria that would bring someone to the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
“If you have not lived here for two years, you’re more subject to deportation and if you don’t show up for your (court) hearing,” she said, adding those who commit certain crimes will be targeted. Violent offenders take precedence.
But as raids targeting Latino communities escalate, Gallelli noted sometimes ICE will seek someone out in an arbitrary manner.
A person can simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, she said, adding: “Some are super unlucky.”
Gallelli said she hasn’t yet heard of a raid in the North Bay.
K & G Immigration Law employs 25 paralegals and four attorneys. The staff is struggling with the increasing demand for their time and expertise, Gallelli admitted.
“It’s hard to keep up,” she said of the inquiries.
”A lot of advocacy groups and lawsuits are going to be fighting this all along the way. Gallelli said. “The sword we have as advocates is mighty.”
Landscapers
Sonoma landscaper Adam Cervantes has worked hard to keep up with the latest news on threats of mass deportations.
“I’m angry and concerned about this,” said Cervantes, who manages 14 workers at Cervantes Landscaping. He declined to address whether all his workers are documented.
No one he knows has been “picked up” yet by ICE officers, but he’s at least aware of step one in the event it happens.
“We have the right to be quiet,” he said.
Still, Cervantes advocates for cooperation in weeding out criminals here illegally.
“I’m really trying to be positive and supportive of these (types of) deportations, but we have so many workers on farms. I just think there’s going to be trouble,” he said.
Auto repair
Owners of two Marin County automotive repair shops are worried that their customers, who they say are mostly Hispanic, won’t be frequenting their businesses because of fear.
“It’s gonna be hard on the economy. It’s gonna impact (us) so much …. Maybe, we are planning to close the f — doors,” said Isidro Vicente. He expressed frustration over the announced policies of stepped-up immigration enforcement when consumers pay the same taxes and fees, regardless of ethnicity or citizenship status.
Vicente has been fixing cars for three decades, the past one as owner of Vicente’s Auto Repair on the vehicle service row off Anderson Drive near the Highway 101 and Interstate 580 interchange in San Rafael. He and an employee are the shop’s only technicians.
At AmayaS’ Auto Repair and Towing, nestled among the dealerships on the other side of the highway interchange, co-owner Juan Carlos Amaya employs 15.
