18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 7-13, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Immigration raids have not yet come to Monterey County, but the fear that they could is changing people’s lives. By Celia Jiménez Into the Shadows Earlier this summer, accounts of immigration raids in Los Angeles spread quickly, followed by images of protesters clashing with armed officers in the city. Then came raids in Southern California agricultural fields. Even as those confrontations fade from recent memory, there is a thought that lurks in many Monterey County residents’ minds: “We are next.” Immigrant residents are silently disappearing from public spaces. Going out and spending money on events, goods or dining has become a second thought for many families. Being out of the public eye reduces the chances of immigrants being a target, and it also helps them to save money in case they choose to self-deport or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains them. Monterey County hasn’t experienced a major raid since the 1990s, although it has experienced targeted detentions, including at least eight since April. Still, with some residents having strong ties to farmworkers detained in Camarillo and Carpinteria in July, and continued rhetoric from the White House about immigration, it is instilling fear for many. Monterey County’s main industries, agriculture and hospitality, heavily depend on an immigrant workforce. Both industries continue humming, half a year after Trump was sworn in. Industry leaders say they haven’t seen significant changes. Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, anticipated widespread workforce shortages but says the outcome has been better than anticipated. “Occasionally, we do see a crew or somebody not show up, but it’s not as widespread as what we fully expected in the beginning,” Groot says. Groot adds sharing information with growers and employees and distributing red cards—which give people a script to follow, reciting their rights to ICE officers—possibly contributed to low no-show rates. During his campaign, President Donald Trump promised “the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America.” And now, for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, ICE’s budget Isabel, 21, an Indigenous Triqui farmworker, says she feels relief every time she arrives home to her two sons, after being in the fields harvesting lettuce. CELIA JIMÉNEZ
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