Key points:
- Trump administration’s immigration raids in Los Angeles spark fear and terror among immigrant communities.
- Families are disappearing and communities destabilized as a result of unprecedented wave of enforcement.
- California’s immigrant communities are being used as a testing ground for nationwide tactics.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Describing the Trump administration’s latest immigration raids in Los Angeles as “a campaign of terror,” Martha Arevalo, executive director of CARECEN-LA (Central American Resource Center, LA), warned that immigrant communities are facing an unprecedented wave of militarized enforcement, racial profiling, and rights violations.
In an interview with the Davis Vanguard, Arevalo detailed a climate of fear unfolding on the ground, where families are disappearing, communities are being destabilized, and constitutional protections are being cast aside in what she called a deliberate strategy of intimidation.
Arevalo noted the severity of the moment: “Definitely our world is upside down, inside out in many ways and constantly changing on a daily basis. Often we have been, over the last few decades, it has been clear that the immigrant population is the target and in many ways a political way for people on the right to gain political power. But in the last few days, it’s something that we’ve never seen. It’s been a campaign of terror and fear, violence, militarization in our communities.”
She added that the level of force and disregard for legal procedure is unprecedented. “It’s something that’s unprecedented when we have a federal government that is targeting a community in its own country and really using weapons of war, using armored vehicles in our communities.”
Arevalo warned that what’s happening in Los Angeles could foreshadow national tactics. “It’s definitely a moment that all of the country should be paying attention [to], not just Los Angeles, because I think that Los Angeles is a testing ground for what could happen to the rest of the country in terms of people’s constitutional rights, human rights.”
She described how people are being picked up off the streets with no explanation or legal process. “It’s really just racial profiling… people getting donuts, people going to Home Depot, people just walking in their neighborhood because they look Latino or they look like [they] could be an immigrant, whether they’re undocumented or not.”
According to Arevalo, those detained are often held without access to legal counsel or even knowledge of their whereabouts. “We have families who still don’t know where their family members are… who are seeing their lives destroyed.”
Even those with legal status or U.S. citizenship are being swept up in raids. “We have an example of this TPS holder—Temporary Protected Status—from El Salvador who actually has been here for about 30 years,” Arevalo said. “He has had TPS for about 24 of those years. So he has had the ability to work and live in the United States legally for more than two decades… and he was going into a Home Depot to shop because he is in the construction industry.”
She described how the man was approached by two officers, handcuffed without explanation, and taken to detention despite showing legal documentation. “He kept telling them, ‘I have my TPS permit in my pocket,’ and he kept pointing to his pocket and it didn’t matter.”
While being transported, the man pleaded with the officers. “He said, ‘I’m here legally. Why won’t you listen to me? Why won’t you just check?’ And [the officer] said, ‘We’re doing our job.’ And he said, ‘Your job is not to violate the law. Your job is not to hurt people.’”
He was eventually released after three days, but the trauma remains. “He has a family. He has young U.S. citizen children. Just the thought that potentially he could be separated from his family… and that he wouldn’t be able to have an opportunity to see them again.”
Another case involved a young U.S. citizen. “He was going to work and he was at a light and had [an] officer just kind of rush his car, take him out of the car, no questions asked, handcuffed, taken into detention. He was at the B-18 Detention Center, sleeping on the floor.”
The man was detained for four or five days. “He says, ‘I was never really involved in these type of issues. I’ve never been a political person. But this is not fair. This is not fair. I’m a citizen.’”
Arevalo stressed that these actions violate core democratic principles. “We have a constitution. We have always said to the world that we are a democracy and that we make sure that we uphold the constitutional rights and human rights. And we’ve been critical of other nations that do not. And we are now in a moment in our democracy where we are in a crisis, where we are not following the Constitution.”
She also noted that immigration status is varied and complex—and that those being apprehended often have legal rights. “We have people that have Temporary Protected Status or DACA. We have people with permanent residency and citizenship, naturalized citizens. And everybody under those categories are being apprehended… because again, they’re not asking questions. There’s no warrants. They’re not looking for a specific person.”
As she put it: “They’ll figure it out later. Who cares about their constitutional rights? Who cares about their legal rights?”
Despite the fear and trauma, CARECEN-LA is fighting back. “We are just continuing to do the work that we’ve done for 42 years,” said Arevalo. “To protect as many people as possible. To protect people’s human and constitutional and legal rights. To make sure that families have the opportunity to stay together.”
CARECEN-LA is providing direct legal services, organizing know-your-rights trainings, advocating for statewide and local policy protections, and working with government agencies and other nonprofits to coordinate food and housing resources for affected families.
Arevalo said, “We’re providing legal services… representing people in their immigration cases. We are also pushing for policies and laws that can protect people’s rights.”
She also emphasized the importance of preparation. “If you’re an immigrant, whether you’re documented or not, you have to learn your rights and you also have to know exactly what to do if you are approached by federal authorities or if they come to your home or your work.”
That includes having a plan for children and assets. “If you are a homeowner, if you are a business owner, [you need to] make sure that there is a plan again about what you want to do with those assets.”
Arevalo said that California’s commitment to immigrant rights has made the state a leader in the nation. “We are definitely lucky to be in California. And again, it’s no surprise that because of that, California is again the fourth largest economy of the world.”
Still, she stressed that this support was hard-won. “This investment didn’t happen by itself. It happened after 10 years of advocacy.”
She urged those with citizenship or permanent residency to stand up for others. “All of us who are privileged to be citizens or to be permanent residents — this is the moment. This is the moment where immigrant families need your support, our support.”
To learn more, volunteer, or access resources, Arevalo encouraged people to visit CARECEN-LA’s website: www.carecen-la.org. “You will have all the information that you can need in terms of immigration legal services, participating in an in-person or virtual know-your-rights workshop… and how to get involved.”
Arevalo closed with a warning but a hopeful vision: “This is not just about the other. This is about the kids in your school who are friends with your kids, the people that are taking care of your children often… This is about the heart and the soul of this nation and the future of democracy.”
