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Help us tell the Oakland stories that matter to you and your fellow Oaklanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, I want to chip in to support Oaklandside\u2019s work!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the wake of federal raids on Home Depots, car washes, and warehouses in Los Angeles and Orange County, Oakland\u2019s immigrant communities are preparing for potential Alameda County roundups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Protests erupted in LA last week after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested over 100 immigrant workers and day laborers. Some of the protests quickly turned into clashes, with federal agents using pepper spray and batons and demonstrators throwing rocks at federal vehicles, according to news reports<\/a>. President Donald Trump responded by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and Marines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alameda County hotline for reporting ICE activity: <\/strong>510-241-4011<\/p>\n\n\n\n The president\u2019s unilateral moves were met with pushback by Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> and LA Mayor Karen Bass. The state has since filed a lawsuit<\/a> arguing that the deployment is unconstitutional. Meanwhile, San Francisco police took over 200<\/a> people into custody on Sunday and Monday who were protesting local ICE arrests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Local groups have organized events in response this week:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never miss a story.<\/strong> Sign up for The Oaklandside\u2019s free daily newsletter.<\/strong>Email<\/p>\n\n\n\n Valeria Ochoa, organizer with Faith in Action East Bay<\/a>, said the wave of Southern California arrests have stoked fear among immigrant communities in Oakland. She said her organization has received an influx of unconfirmed reports of ICE agent sightings in the city since then which her team is looking into. Speaking with The Oaklandside on Tuesday morning, Ochoa said a colleague was just then driving to check out the latest report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA bunch of us got together and said, OK, we have to do something in solidarity,\u201d she said, and quickly pulled together plans for the Tuesday evening vigil, which she said will include interfaith prayer and community speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re angry,\u201d she said, \u201cwith folks going after our communities.\u201d Ochoa said the organizers were committed to planning a peaceful, nonviolent event, given the escalating crackdowns and provocations. They chose Fruitvale Plaza for the vigil because so many immigrants in Oakland spend time there. She said the organizers wanted to send a clear message: \u201cWe\u2019re there to fight for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oakland is among dozens of cities across the country where \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies are planned for Saturday. These protests, organized by Indivisible<\/a> and other groups, take aim at the president\u2019s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and other executive actions they describe as \u201cauthoritarian excesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speakers at Oakland\u2019s march will include Rep. Lateefah Simon, who represents Oakland in Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several local elected officials have also criticized Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will not stay silent as our families are targeted and traumatized by ICE\u2019s cruel tactics and the federal administration\u2019s relentless attacks on our community,\u201d Alameda County Supervisor Elisa M\u00e1rquez said in a statement Tuesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know firsthand the fear and heartbreak that spreads when loved ones are threatened with detention or deportation,\u201d said M\u00e1rquez, who is the daughter of immigrants. \u201cNo one should have to live in constant fear of being torn from their family, their home, or their dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alameda County Board of Supervisors recently approved $3.5 million<\/a> for immigration services, including legal defense and know-your-rights training. The allocation was made in the wake of threats from President Trump to cut federal funding to \u201csanctuary\u201d jurisdictions such as LA, Oakland, and Alameda County, where local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from cooperating with ICE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are a lot of very real fears right now,\u201d said City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran in a social media video in February, which she reshared Monday.<\/a> But she assured viewers that local leaders are dedicated to keeping Oakland\u2019s sanctuary status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local grassroots organizations that support immigrants are also ramping up their activities. The Street Level Health Project<\/a>, an Oakland organization that supports day laborers and other immigrants who lack health insurance, recently held a staff training to better prepare for potential ICE raids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDay laborers are very much a target right now and very vulnerable at this time because they\u2019re so visible,\u201d said Gabriela Galicia, the project\u2019s executive director. Recent raids have targeted day laborers at Home Depots in Pomona<\/a>, Los Angeles, and Santa Ana<\/a>, in Orange County. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Street Level Health is planning to launch an \u201cAdopt a Day Laborer Corner\u201d program where volunteers can sign up, at info@streetlevelhealthproject.org<\/a>, to monitor a corner where day laborers gather to seek work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now we need manpower, we need more eyes,\u201d Galicia said, but she advised people not to show up to Home Depots or other gathering places unannounced, as it could heighten tensions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Esther Kaplan contributed reporting<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n natalie@oaklandside.org<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Natalie Orenstein is a senior reporter covering City Hall, housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside. Her reporting on a flood of eviction cases following the end of the Alameda County pandemic moratorium won recognition from the Society of Professional Reporters NorCal in 2024. Natalie was previously on staff at Berkeleyside, where she covered education, including extensive, award-winning reporting on the legacy of school desegregation in Berkeley Unified. Natalie lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, and has only left her beloved East Bay once, to attend Pomona College.More by Natalie Orenstein<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oakland\u2019s immigrant communities are on high alert after raids across Southern California. by\u00a0Natalie Orenstein June 10, 2025 (Oaklandside.com) Help us tell the Oakland stories that matter to you and your fellow Oaklanders. Yes, I want to chip in to support Oaklandside\u2019s work! In the wake of federal raids on Home… Continue reading \n
Local officials, day-laborer groups speak out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
NATALIE ORENSTEIN<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n