On a Saturday morning in Byron, California, organizers with the farmworker advocacy nonprofit Hijas Del Campo scanned the halls of the church where they had gathered, wondering how many people would show up to the January 11 event they had spent 10 weeks planning.
The event, an immigration forum, came just days after a string of Border Patrol raids in Bakersfield, California, sent shockwaves across the state, sowing panic and confusion.
Organizers decided not to promote the event on social media out of fear of attracting an anti-immigrant crowd.
Despite this, attendees did begin to trickle in. That morning, more than 70 people were seated, listening attentively to a panel discussion on their rights as immigrants just nine days before President-Elect Donald Trump would begin his second term in office.
As Trump’s inauguration rapidly approaches, El Tímpano has been in conversation with Latino and Mayan immigrants across the Bay Area. Dozens of community members have shared their questions and concerns about how the new administration will impact their lives.
To accommodate attendees at the immigration forum in Byron who might be fearful of sharing their names or faces with reporters, El Tímpano asked them to instead write a word that encapsulates what they are feeling in the days leading up to the new Trump presidency.
Some common threads—and words—emerged. Participants told reporters they felt scared, uncertain and worried about the future. They also expressed feelings of hope and community resilience. These are some of their stories.
Un sábado por la mañana en Byron, California, los organizadores de la organización Hijas del Campo, dedicada a la defensa de los trabajadores agrícolas, recorrían los pasillos de la iglesia en la que se habían reunido, preguntándose cuánta gente se presentaría al evento del 11 de enero que habían estado planeando durante 10 semanas.
El evento, un foro de inmigración, se llevó a cabo pocos días después de que una serie de redadas de patrulla fronteriza en Bakersfield, California, sembraran el pánico y la confusión en todo el estado. Los organizadores decidieron no promocionar el evento en las redes sociales por miedo a atraer a un público antiinmigrante.
A pesar de eso, poco a poco fueron llegando los asistentes. Esa mañana, más de 70 personas estaban sentadas, escuchando atentamente a un grupo de discusión sobre sus derechos como inmigrantes justo nueve días antes de que el presidente electo Donald Trump iniciara su segundo mandato.
A medida que se acerca rápidamente la inauguración de Trump, El Tímpano ha estado en conversación con inmigrantes latinos y mayas en toda el Área de la Bahía. Docenas de miembros de la comunidad han compartido sus preguntas y preocupaciones sobre cómo la nueva administración afectará sus vidas.
Para acomodar a los asistentes del foro de inmigración en Byron que pudieran tener miedo de compartir sus nombres o rostros con los periodistas, El Tímpano les pidió que en su lugar escribieran una palabra que encapsula lo que están sintiendo en los días previos a la nueva presidencia de Trump.
Surgieron algunos puntos en común. Los participantes dijeron a los periodistas que sentían miedo, incertidumbre y preocupación por el futuro. También expresaron sentimientos de esperanza y resistencia comunitaria. Estas son algunas de sus historias.
Hellen
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“I am a DACA student and I always feel uncertain that if something happens to my status, how can I help my family. So every day it is something that I think about, I think not only about myself, but about my family and what is going to happen.
I’m afraid more than anything because the last time the president was there, he took the initiatives to take away DACA for the people that come from the other generations that are coming below me. Since he already did something really big the last time I was in office, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something to completely take it away this term.
I feel hope more than anything that there will be more community and more togetherness among people, whether they have a solid immigration status or not, temporary, but that there will be more togetherness, because first of all division is what hurts people the most, and the mentality of all of that.”
Yesenia
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“I’m worried because I’m living with my daughters’ reactions.
I feel sad. I would like to find ways that I can help them, so that they can improve their emotional state.
Really, my focus is to be united as a family, to be healthy, to be mentally positive for whatever comes, and in the best way possible—to take on whatever comes in the best way.
Honestly, we came here with our heads down, (but) we left with our self-esteem raised, and I am very happy about that.”
Araceli
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“I have lived for about 21 years in this country. Although I already have residency status, I have family members who may be at risk of being deported.
I feel that the worry and fear that we can experience is what can sometimes supersede. The feeling and disappointment of seeing that you have spent many years in this country, far from your family and have the illusion that here you can achieve something, which is what all along has been like a frustrating dream of believing that this nation is the land of dreams.
That’s why I also included the word ‘hope’ because I know that there can be that hope. We can achieve something because we know that we are a large community where we contribute a lot to this country.”
Adriana
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“The anguish of not being able to go calmly to the store. The anguish of my husband going to work and knowing that there might be something, something might happen where he is. The anguish of driving and thinking of being stopped and not knowing how to react.
I think that this anguish leads us to despair, to not knowing what to do, to being nervous, to being scared, to being, ‘please God, let nothing happen.‘
The anguish is the same I think for everybody.”
Reporting by Jasmine Aguilera, Erica Hellerstein and Cassandra Garibay
Photos by Hiram Alejandro Durán
Audio production and web design by Hiram Alejandro Durán and Katherine Nagasawa
