Living in a house with five people is hard. Living with 17 people is practically impossible.
This was the harsh reality of a Mexican immigrant worker at the Mountain View Day Worker Center when they first moved to California. The house only had one bathroom, and it was the only living space they could afford.
Now, with the election of President Donald Trump, in addition to the continuous struggle for financial stability, some immigrants are also worried about mass deportations, as well as future immigration policy changes.
Anthro interviewed two immigrant workers at the Day Worker Center in Mountain View, which primarily connects immigrants with employers, about their personal experiences and what to expect in the future.
Sophia, an immigrant employee at the Day Worker Center who asked that her real name not be used, expressed concern over the priorities of the American people.
“It feels kind of like a nightmare to see the kind of community that we have become and to see the priorities that people have,” Sophia said.
Her concerns come amid a series of promises Trump has made to deport millions of illegal immigrants. During Trump’s speech to Congress on March 4, he once again touched on this idea.
“We will eliminate these threats to protect our homeland and complete the largest deportation operation in American history,” Trump said.
Trump has already begun to follow up on his promises by giving more power to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, declaring a national emergency at the Mexican border, and signing an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship.
When asked about the deportations, Sophia labeled them as a “civil and human rights violation.”
New policies along with deportations targeting illegal immigration have created an environment of fear and worry for many immigrants like James, another worker at the Mountain View Day Worker Center. James, who wishes that his real name not be used, spoke about the effects of Trump’s policies.
“It has been very impactful emotionally, and I’m in a constant state of fear, not confident enough to go shopping because I am scared that something can happen to me,” James said.
Increases in deportation and arrests have only worsened these fears. According to federal data, in the month of February alone, there have been nearly 23,000 arrests and 18,000 deportations.
Stories about violent ICE encounters have also increased, such as the story of Ulises Pena Lopez, an illegal immigrant in Sunnyvale. He was arrested on Feb. 21 after a violent struggle with ICE officers.
“The brutality of the arrest caused him to collapse and struggle to breathe, resulting in him being rushed to the hospital,” Ulises’ family said in a statement on Instagram.
Incidents like this worry many immigrants.
“I feel very vulnerable with all the attacks […] all the threats and all the things that are happening around,” James said. “It’s hard for me to imagine that something good will happen in the next four years.”
Many student immigrants have also been subject to smaller attacks in the form of jokes. David, a Palo Alto High School student who asked that his real name not be used to protect his identity, immigrated from Mexico three years ago and has been subjected to jokes about his country of origin.
“People joke around with me about being like a border hopper,” David said.
His family, fearing future policies Trump may implement, decided to return to Mexico after Trump was elected to renew their visas and apply for a green card.
“We applied for the green card, and we renewed our visa so that if anything that Donald Trump does, any immigration policies that could happen, we would be ready for them,” David said.
David has also had to be extra careful lately due to the looming threat of deportation.
“I do have to be a little more careful than other people,” David said. “If I do something that is bad, I get in more trouble than someone that is already living here.”
When asked how best to protect immigrants, Sophia and James both emphasized speaking up and gathering to fight against unjust policies or laws.
“We can speak to the powerful very loudly, and our voices are going to be heard,” Sophia said. “We have to follow more of the moral law and not those that humans make.”
“I think that we should all come together so that we can be stronger together,” James said.