Bay Area farmworkers hope for action as President Trump promises ICE reform
HALF MOON BAY — In a post to Truth Social on Thursday, President Trump promised farmworkers that changes are coming to how ICE operations are conducted.
Mr. Trump acknowledged in the post that people within the farming industry have stated that his administration's "aggressive policy on immigration" has led to the industry losing longtime workers, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace."
"This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!" Mr. Trump said.
It's the first sign of hope for the immigrant community that has lived in fear since the raids began.
Sandra Sencion is a farmworker program director with ALAS. It stands for Ayudandos Latinos a Soñar, which means helping Latinos to dream.
The last few months, though, have been a nightmare for the immigrant community in Half Moon Bay.
"These ICE raids are happening all around us and the fear that that could happen to us, regardless of whether you're documented or not," Sencion said.
The farmworkers in Half Moon Bay worked through the pandemic and a mass shooting that killed seven people in 2023. They now worry about their families being torn apart.
Sencion says they've had to do more outreach as more and more people need mental health and legal support.
"We have a wait list for our mental health line and we are increasing our presence within our local farms and housing sites," she said.
Some of the farms in Half Moon Bay are locking their gates so federal agents can't freely walk on their properties to take workers away. Sencion says the same is being done at the ALAS house to make sure people feel comfortable reaching out for help.
She said many farmworkers have told her they just want to work to provide for their families. Now, they wait to see if Mr. Trump will make any changes to his immigration policy.
"It's a message of hope to some extent to hear our president say something that is promising, but again, we're hoping that there's action behind that," Sencion said.
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