Redwood City – There’s a mom, living in the U.S. for 20 years, worried what would happen to her young daughter if she is deported to her native Mexico.
There’s an industrial engineer from Bolivia and its cratering economy looking like he stepped off a tech campus in a logo fleece, trying to figure out whether to overstay a tourist visa to make a new life for his family in the U.S.
Their circumstances are vastly different, and they come from countries 3,000 miles apart, but they share the urgency to learn how to navigate the nation’s evolving immigration system.
“Everybody asks themselves, ‘What will happen with our children?’ That’s my question,” said the mom, Mariana. “What happens if you get involved with immigration? What happens with my daughter? I have one daughter. My daughter is thinking about me and my husband and she’s asking, ‘Where am I going?’”
Stressed, she slides into her native Spanish: “Es triste. Es triste.”
The mom and engineer were among the 40 or so people seeking information and answers at a recent “Know your Rights” workshop designed to empower immigrants with knowledge about their legal rights, what to expect during interactions with immigration officers and the resources available for legal support.
The San Mateo County Office of Community Affairs and its partners are presenting Know Your Rights workshops and information sessions in community spaces and at nonprofit organizations from Daly City to Pescadero.
“The immigration system is exceedingly complex,” said Board of Supervisors President David Canepa. “These workshops help people gain the confidence they need to navigate that system and can help them gain insights into the pathways available to them.”
The workshops are in line with the County’s recognition as a Certified Welcoming place by Welcoming America, becoming the first county in California to achieve the distinction for its commitment to immigrant inclusion and belonging.
At the roughly 90-minute workshops, outreach workers in English and Spanish cover a range of topics that many immigrants see as crucial for their and their family’s future.
They hand out wallet-friendly red cards, which include a script to help people assert their rights at home, in the workplace or in a public location. They provide a rapid-response hotline (203-666-4472) to call if federal immigration agents come to your home or work, contacts for legal assistance and additional resources.
Among the tips:
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to open a door unless presented with a search warrant from a judge. You do not have to sign anything without a lawyer.
And crucial for many in the audience: Make a family plan, in case you are detained and separated from your children.
“One of the goals is to help people overcome fear and anxiety by giving them trusted information as well as concrete actions they can take,” said Sarah Dewitt-Feldman, the County’s Immigrant Services Coordinator who leads workshops along with teammate Carolina Salinas.
“These workshops also give people a chance to ask questions directly to us and to also share information,” Dewitt-Feldman said. “What we are trying to do is empower people with facts.”
Dewitt-Feldman and other County presenters do not provide legal advice. Instead, they refer people to a network of free and low-cost immigration legal service providers. At some events, attorneys from the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County or other organizations provide guidance.
A resource page set up by the Office of Community Affairs includes a guide to the multitude of services available to all local residents, regardless of immigration status.
Know Your Rights workshops are scheduled and hosted by nonprofit and other community-based organizations. To learn about upcoming workshops, contact the Office of Community Affairs at immigrantservices@smcgov.org or 650-363-4194.
At a recent workshop, people crowded into a meeting room where Dewitt-Feldman switched seamlessly from Spanish to English as she explained how to handle an encounter with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or what to do if a loved one is detained.
It’s uncertainty that worries many of the parents, professionals, gardeners, housekeepers and construction workers in the audience.
Will a simple trip to the grocery store turn into an encounter with federal immigration agents? What changes may be in store those seeking asylum?
“Knowing Your Rights is a critical service that empowers individuals and families to navigate complex situations with confidence and clarity,” said Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, founder and executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a nonprofit that assists the Latino community on the Coastside.
“We have seen how this type of support helps alleviate the fear and uncertainty many in our community are experiencing, which can profoundly impact mental health and overall well-being.”
In his native Bolivia, the man in the fleece earned a master’s degree in business administration and worked as an industrial engineer while his wife worked for the government, he explained through an interpreter.
He sees little future there for his family that includes three children, ages 18, 5 and 3. (A 2022 report by the U.S. State Department says, regarding Bolivia, “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government officials,” among other offenses.)
The family arrived in the U.S. a month ago on a tourist visa. To stay means navigating the U.S. immigration system, the likelihood of seeking asylum, and the risk of never seeing members of his extended family again. To return risks narrowing economic options for him and his family and the dangers associated with a country that endured an attempted miliary coup just last June.
“We don’t,” he said, “have many options.”
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org