Monday morning in Mira Mesa, a person was reportedly apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while on their way to work.
Community activist Arturo Gonzalez received a desperate message from the man’s family, who was looking for him and his truck. Gonzalez was driving near City Heights and the College Grove area, monitoring ICE activity, when he received the message.
“Let me know the description of the truck and its usual route to work,” Gonzalez said, using voice-to-text to respond.
It was 10 a.m. and he had been driving for three hours.
“This morning a family contacted us to say they were about to leave for work and they said there were cars parked outside their apartment complex,” Gonzalez said. “So we arrived on scene and immediately confirmed that these vehicles were in fact ICEs.”
He then alerted his social network to the presence of ICE. He also used a megaphone to alert residents of the apartment complex to the presence of ICE. He said the officers left without arresting anyone.
He’s been doing this for nearly two years, ever since the Trump administration began cracking down on immigrants and deporting them. Lately, however, he has seen an uptick in law enforcement activity.
“It’s different than what we’ve seen all year,” Gonzalez said. “What’s happening right now over the last week and a half is a complete, big, immense surge – the biggest surge I’ve ever seen since I started doing this work.”
According to the Washington Examiner, the administration is launching a 45-day enforcement campaign, starting in San Diego. Citing sources, the newspaper said officers were instructed to go after anyone, regardless of their criminal history.
“(It’s) very unfortunate that this is happening right now,” said Ian Seruelo, an immigration attorney at the PAG-ASA Law Clinic, serving the Filipino and Asian community. Pag-asa means hope in Tagalog.
He has received numerous calls recently from family members of detainees.
“They are calling because their family members have been arrested,” Seruelo said. “This climate of fear has really intensified. »
ICE agents are also changing tactics. Gonzalez said they were seen wearing orange safety vests at construction sites to blend in.
“I’ve seen them try to use vehicles that seem less obvious,” he said. All this to create a climate of fear within the immigrant community.
“People are afraid to take their kids to school,” Gonzalez said. “People are at the grocery store, and once they hear us yelling that ICE is here, they don’t even want to leave that grocery store.”
Due to the crackdown, Seruelo advised vulnerable people to carry the so-called “red card” with them wherever they go. It helps immigrants inform ICE agents that the cardholder knows their rights, regardless of their status.
“The right to remain silent, the right not to answer any questions from ICE,” he said. “The right not to provide any type of document from ICE, the right to have an attorney.”
People arrested by ICE can show the card to agents to exercise their legal rights, Seruelo said.
Both noted that the timing of the law enforcement surge was so close to the midterm elections. They think it’s a fear tactic to keep immigrants from voting.
“I think this administration is notorious for using every tool at its disposal to threaten and intimidate people of color, especially when voting,” Seruelo said.
“I think it’s definitely a tactic that they’re using to scare people into not going to vote,” Gonzalez said. “It’s also because they know that once we get out there and vote, we’re going to do what we can (to) elect officials (who) will start implementing measures to stop ICE from what they’re doing. And they’re afraid of that.”
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