Ever since Trump became president again, tensions have been rising across the US, especially in migrant communities. Trump promised that as president he would cleanse what he views as the US “white” national fabric by removing its brown, black and yellow stains.
His presidency has been worse than even the gloomiest of us imagined. ICE has ballooned grotesquely, rushing to hire recruits without rigorous background checks or proper training. Federal troops have invaded US cities, their hunt for migrants reminiscent of the hunt for runaway slaves two centuries ago.
Immigrant neighborhoods like City Heights in San Diego are potentially major targets of the Trump assault. And it’s here, in their neighborhood, that ordinary people are mobilizing. These are not politicians or well-known leaders, and they are not waiting for someone else to save them, nor are they saying they don’t know what to do. Inventing as they go, they reach out to every organization, every small business, every church, every school and every individual determined to defend their neighbors.
This guerrilla army differs from the armies of past people’s wars. No guns, no violence. They use what comes to hand, like pots and pans to warn people that ICE is around, signs in business windows saying “employees only,” bags of food for those who don’t dare leave home and rock bands with anti-ICE lyrics. When a resident takes a small step, their neighbors applaud and encourage them to take another step. Commitment and courage grow.
What does resistance look like in City Heights? It looks like a festival of diversity, creativity, acceptance and love. Maria Romero tells us that after ICE is gone, City Heights will surely be a more wonderful place to live than ever before.
In her 30s, María Romero never expected to leave her native Mexico, but because of her political activities, she had to flee. Settling in San Diego near the border, she still regularly visits her family in Tijuana. She’s passionate about assisting immigrants and adult learners and participates in community struggles organized through Activist San Diego. Currently, as a dedicated organizer in the City Heights Defense Committee, she works to educate and empower City Heights residents to keep ICE out of their community and to end unjust deportations and family separations.
You’re a migrant yourself. Why did you come to the US?
I’m from Mexicali, Baja California. It’s a border city with the US on the other side of the fence. When I was young, farmers went back and forth with no problem. Not like today!
In 2000, I graduated from law school, and because I wanted to work on behalf of the common people, I got a job in the local Mexican Human Rights office. But then a difficult case came to me. A young girl had been raped. Abortion was illegal, except in the case of rape — but she was denied an abortion! When I fought for her, I began getting anonymous threats from church fanatics, saying I should be dead because I was pro-choice. A Catholic priest even made threatening flyers with my name on them, calling me a lesbian criminal! It got so bad we had to leave; my husband and I moved to Oregon.
But in the US, I couldn’t work as a lawyer. I cleaned houses, did elder care, waitressed — anything! At first, I had a visa, but it ran out, and I became undocumented.
My husband was abusive, and we separated in 2009, when my son was three. In 2010 I was trying to get asylum on the basis of the threats in Mexico, but a Catholic Charities counselor recommended I file instead as a victim of domestic violence. That worked, and I got a permit to work. In 2015, I finally got my status adjusted to that of resident. I could see my family again after ten years of being unable to cross the border to home!
When Trump sent ICE into San Diego, you and several of your activist friends decided to take action. Why did you pick City Heights for defense work?
We live in City Heights! This area isn’t only rich or only poor — it has some big houses but also apartments with workers. In my building, it’s mostly Blacks, but also whites and Mexicans. A building on one side of mine houses Chinese, Laotian and Vietnamese, and on my other side, Turks, Egyptians, Africans and Haitians — within a mile, you can find the whole world!
A center nearby teaches English as a Second Language and provides services for refugees — one reason City Heights is San Diego’s most diverse neighborhood.
Home to so many immigrants, it’s where ICE will naturally show up looking for people to deport.
We want to organize our community to keep ICE out.
How did you start the City Heights Defense Committee (CHDC)?
A few of us who worked in Activist San Diego approached several organization leaders and brought them together. The Employee Rights Center, or ERC, works in San Diego and is known across the country for its combination of service, advocacy and organizing of immigrants. Viet Voices enables the usually ignored Vietnamese community to vote and to make their concerns heard. Foodshed, a farm cooperative that grows and distributes fresh foods to improve health, and San Diego Veterans for Peace, an advocacy group for war victims, which many migrants are, all joined. I know I’m forgetting others right now; my apologies.
They all had different areas of work, but the threat of ICE inspired them to come together. Pastors also joined us, and the Church of the Nazarene has provided us with a beautiful meeting space.
But in addition to existing leaders, the CHDC creates new leaders through a culture of love and appreciation. Four out of many examples: Christy, a PhD in physiology, stepped up to moderate our meetings; Maddy, a therapist who was never in an organization before, provides mental health services to the migrants; and Demaris, an artist, designed our beautiful logo, flyers, banners and shirts. José is developing a “flash protest” app that is super secure and can send warnings to immigrants about the location of ICE agents.
Unión del Barrio
What actions is the CHDC taking?
We have a patrol group on the streets every morning at 4:45 am. It includes people who speak different languages — we learned this from Viet Voices — so they can communicate with all residents. We always try to include both men and women. Once when Unión del Barrio joined a patrol, ICE showed up. We scared them away by screaming, “La Migra is here!” We encourage people to bang on pots and pans to alert the neighborhood.
Viet Voices also taught us to ask neighborhood businesses to put up signs in their windows saying that all are welcome — except ICE! They want to keep immigrant customers, and most of them posted our signs. Our outreach committee passes out informational flyers, especially near schools when parents are picking up their kids, and sits at information tables at community events.
It’s interesting that you distribute food — that’s not usually associated with defending people from ICE!
Foodshed buys organic food directly from urban farmers and they supply us with bags of it to distribute to the City Heights families in most need. We distribute to about 30 families. If they are afraid to leave home, they are grateful to get food — healthy food — brought to them. We want to generate a relationship of care and trust with these immigrant families. They don’t only need information — they need to to have their daily living needs met. We’re happy to be able to provide.
How does your work to defend immigrants fit into wider efforts in San Diego and beyond?
Other parts of the city have also organized defense committees, and we’re in touch with them. Viet Voices and ERC are preparing all their communities to vote. Right now, CHDC is working to pass Proposition 50, which is California’s Governor Newsom ballot initiative to counter the Republican gerrymandering attempts in other states to elect more Republicans to Congress. Not a democratic idea, but necessary right now!
Despite the fear and violence Trump has unleashed in our peaceful neighborhoods, resistance is strong, especially among young people. That’s why the CDHC has already done so much in a few short months, and why we think this movement will become massive! We oppose pitting people against each other, so we build unity across nationalities and immigration status. We are replacing suspicion and hatred with acceptance and love. I’m so happy to see City Heights coming together as I’ve never seen done before!
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Immigrant neighborhoods like City Heights in San Diego are major targets of the Trump assault and are organizing against it. An interview with María Romero.
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