The quiet power of soccer for immigrant youth

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The Weekly Dispatch

Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area.

Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor and economics reporter.

When we launched this newsletter back in February, we promised to provide a lens into how the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant stance is trickling down to the Bay Area, affecting the lives of the many Latino and Mayan immigrants who call this place home.

Over the last three months, we’ve done our best to publish stories that illuminate the impacts of the rapidly shifting federal policy landscape on immigrant communities in the East Bay, reporting on everything from the potential gutting of Medicaid and food stamps to the risks of skipping immigration court hearings.

It’s important to cover these stories. Immigrants across the Bay Area have shared their intimate fears and anxieties with us about a range of newly proposed or implemented immigration policies, including the termination of sanctuary protections from schools and churches, the Department of Homeland Security’s new registry for undocumented immigrants, and the new data sharing agreement between the Internal Revenue Service and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, to name a few.

But fear and anxiety captures just one slice of the immigrant experience in the Bay Area in these uncertain times. Amid pressure and stress, people are also continuing to live their rich and varied lives: making art, writing poetry, building community and finding joy.

In that spirit, I want to share a story I published this week about one of the underappreciated places where immigrant youth are finding safety and joy. It happens to be the world’s most popular sport–or as so many fans call it, “the beautiful game.” The piece explores how playing soccer has served as an emotional lifeline for children who recently moved to the U.S, providing newcomers with a culturally familiar and nurturing place to play, build confidence and develop friendships that can help ease the resettlement process.

These spaces are increasingly important as the Trump administration turns its attention to migrant youth. Since January 20, the White House has halted all funding for legal aid groups that provide representation to thousands of unaccompanied minors nationwide, directed immigration officials to deport hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the U.S. alone, gained access to a database containing location information about unaccompanied children and their adult sponsors and revoked long-standing guidance that protected churches and schools from immigration enforcement.

In Alameda County, home to the second-highest population of unaccompanied minors in California, advocates told me these changes are having tangible impacts on immigrant youth. That’s why they emphasize the importance of spaces that provide migrant youth with a sense of safety and belonging. That includes soccer programs, which research suggests are one of the most effective and accessible tools for helping young people rebuild their sense of self after the trauma of migration.

Adelaida, an immigrant from Guatemala who now plays in a newcomer soccer league for girls in the East Bay, told me her participation transformed her relationship with her new home. The team, she said, “has helped me feel more integrated in this country. I feel at home. I say that I am from Oakland.”

For more, including a glimpse into one of Adelaida’s hard-fought games on a recent Saturday afternoon, you can read the full piece here.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and see you next week.

— Erica Hellerstein

Ear to the Ground

El Tímpano’s text messaging (SMS) service reaches 5,700 Spanish-speaking immigrants across the Bay Area. Over the past few months, many of our subscribers have shared concerns about changing immigration policies, as well as legal questions about pending immigration cases, ICE enforcement and labor rights. Here are a few of their responses:

I would like to ask what is the best legal document a parent can have so that their children can remain with a guardian in the event of deportation.

Quisiera preguntar cuál es el mejor documento legal que un padre de familia puede tener para que sus hijos en el evento de una deportación, se queden con una persona encargada.

–Antioch resident

I want to know what possibilities I have of being able to fix my legal status, given the current situation.

Yo quiero saber qué posibilidades tengo de poder arreglar mi estatus legal [así] como está ahorita la situación.

– Hayward resident

I have a 13-year-old daughter, and we have our work permit, but she does not have it up to date, because she hasn’t used it yet. She’s already in 8th grade, and I’m worried because she wants to study at a university, and the way things are going, I don’t know what to expect.

Tengo una hija de 13 años, tenemos permiso de trabajo, pero ella no lo tiene vigente porque no lo ha ocupado hasta hoy. Ella ya está en el grado 8 y me preocupa porque ella quiere estudiar en la universidad y así como van las cosas no sé a qué atenernos.

– Berkeley resident

From the El Tímpano newsroom

This week from the newsroom, we have our most recent piece about undocumented youth in the second Trump administration. And in case you missed it, our second featured article, from earlier this year, is about the steep toll of migration on the mental health of young people who come to the United States alone.

As safe spaces shrink, immigrant youth find solace in “the beautiful game”

Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, soccer provides a refuge for young newcomers.

Soaring housing costs make life even more challenging for Oakland’s unaccompanied minors

Amid staggering cost of living and debt, young migrants’ mental health needs take a back seat.

Stories we’re following

CA blasts ICE detention centers. A recent report from California’s Department of Justice found that all six of the state’s privately operated detention centers are in need of drastic reform to address the mental health needs of detainees and to comply with ICE detention standards. The review, which was born out of a 2017 state law requiring California’s Attorney General’s office to conduct inspections and reports on detention facilities in California, comes as the Trump administration seeks to dramatically expand the nation’s immigration detention system. Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state’s review system is “especially critical in light of efforts by the Trump Administration to both eliminate oversight of conditions at immigration detention facilities and increase its inhumane campaign of mass immigration enforcement, potentially exacerbating critical issues already present in these facilities by packing them with more people.”

Faces of the disappeared. This powerful website showcases the faces, names and stories of nearly 700 migrants who have been detained and deported over the past several months. The digital archive puts a human face on the story of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. “The stories featured on this site are not just data points or headlines. These are true stories,” its creator writes, “that capture one of the darkest moments in American history.”

Eyes on SCOTUS. Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case challenging the Trump administration’s January Executive Order ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born on U.S. soil. While the case seems somewhat constitutionally straightforward – after all, the 14th Amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside” – how the High Court rules carries significant implications, not just for the children of undocumented immigrants but for the broader issue of executive power. For those interested in learning more, check out this piece by CNN, which has a helpful overview of the case, as well as key issues to look out for.

Resource of the week

The Trump administration’s renewed threats of mass deportation and actions targeting migrant youth have stoked fear and instability among immigrant families. For many parents, the worry goes beyond staying in the country—it’s about keeping their kids in school, finding support for stress and anxiety, and putting food on the table during uncertain times.

We created a resource guide specifically for immigrant parents in Alameda County. It includes information on free or low-cost parenting classes, mental health services, and where to find free essentials like food, diapers and toys.

Do you or someone you know work with Spanish-speaking families who could benefit from this guide? Share it with them and let them know they can text us any questions at (510) 800-8305.

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El Tímpano produces civic media with, for, and about the 1.8 million Latino and Mayan immigrants who call the Bay Area home. We cannot do it without your support. Become a monthly donor today.

Questions and feedback? Tips for newsroom stories? Reach out team at newsletter@eltimpano.org.

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