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Faith in Action Bay Area Executive Director Lorena Melgarejo dedicated an hour of her Tuesday night to a private, unrecorded conversation with the community about immigration enforcement trends in San Mateo County and other safety tips.
In April, San Mateo County saw 16 confirmed ICE detainments, fewer than in October, when 24 county residents were detained, but still substantial. Melgarejo said the trend has shifted from court arrests to neighborhood ones, which now make up about half.
“It has a chilling effect, because even though it’s not a raid, people saw it and they’re like, ‘ICE is right here,’” the Faith in Action director said.
The faith-based nonprofit has been a leading force in San Mateo County’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement rapid-response approach in offering verification of reported ICE sightings and legal resources, as well as tracking trends of ICE activity in the area. The conversation Tuesday, May 5, was hosted by Fixin’ San Mateo County, a grassroots organization that is working to ensure civilian oversight of the county Sheriff’s Office.
With over 20 years of community organizing experience, Melgarejo is a member of Faith in Action’s task force that fields urgent calls about suspected immigration enforcement, trains and deploys volunteers who verify reports of ICE activity, and attends immigration appointments with non-citizens, as well as offering financial, emotional and legal support for those impacted by ICE detainments.
Faith in Action has provided immigration services for the past decade, since President Donald Trump first took office. Melgarejo said Faith in Action resists “catastrophizing” immigration enforcement by stirring up fear and anxiety, which isn’t good for public health and for children.
Still, the desire for information about immigration enforcement is strong. This news organization reported in November that many undocumented community members would like to know as much as possible about ICE presence in the area, even at the risk of fear-mongering.
Faith in Action’s team confirms suspected ICE sightings by offering an around-the-clock hotline with at least two dispatchers who field as many as 400 calls a day, Melgarejo said. Close to 900 U.S.-born citizens who live in every city in San Mateo County are trained to verify reports of ICE activity within minutes, without intervening.
“I would say about 98% of these, thankfully, have been false rumors of people seeing, for example, the police department or the U.S. Marshals, or sometimes with construction,” she said.
Giving the OK to go to work, or to a park, or anywhere else has proven important, Melgarejo said, adding, “it is not healthy for the community to live in constant fear and hiding is bad for mental health.”
In cases where a household’s breadwinner is detained, Faith in Action can provide families with three months of rental assistance immediately, as well as up to $1,500 a month to help with phone bills, gas and other living expenses.
Faith in Action offers opportunities to get involved, starting with distributing posters and cards that can help targeted people assert their rights. The organization also seeks help in spreading awareness of verified ICE activity by reposting its @fiabayarea Instagram and “Faith in Action Bay Area” Facebook posts
Other volunteer roles include the hundreds of verifiers who visit sites rumored to have an ICE presence or who accompany immigrants seeking extra support at ICE check-ins and court dates in San Francisco.
Faith in Action is soliciting donations to its mutual-aid fund that helps families cover rent and groceries to prevent homelessness. For more information, go to faithaction.org.
Thank you for covering the Fixin’ SMC meeting w/ Lorena!