www.montereycountynow.com AUGUST 7-13, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 for enforcement tripled to $29.9 billion. In January, the administration rescinded a Joe Biden-era policy that discouraged immigration enforcement actions at schools, hospitals and places of worship, meaning no place is “off-limits” anymore. On June 12, Trump said immigration crackdowns would pause at farms, hotels, and restaurants, but that policy change was later reversed. “What comes out of Washington, D.C. is very disappointing,” Groot says. “They flip-flopped on policy related to agriculture and hospitality several times. It’s very confusing and it’s very frustrating.” Beyond frustrations, some business leaders report more tangible, if subtle changes. Both Alejandro Chavez, Salinas United Business Association’s executive director, and Colleen Bailey, president of Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, say business owners report slower foot traffic. In recent days, “Alisal was about as empty as I’ve seen, probably not since Covid-19,” Chavez says. They cite factors including immigration policy and tariffs, and business is down as much as 30 percent. “Many long-standing businesses are talking about shutting down this year,” Chavez says. At Taqueria Las Fuentes in Greenfield, a business that has been running for 23 years, sales are down at least 20 percent, says owner Carmen Barron. She notes current sales are lower than during pandemic times, when restaurants could only sell takeout. “This time is worse,” she says in Spanish. On Sundays they sell menudo, a soup that used to sell out regularly; now, they sell just 50-70 percent of the 70 pounds they prep every week. Barron adds that along El Camino Real, where there are various businesses including hair salons, markets, bakeries and restaurants, foot traffic is slower than usual. She has asked customers about it, and they say their relatives don’t want to go out because they are afraid of ICE being in their community. Adela Álvarez works in early childhood education with Door to Hope across the county, including in King City, Greenfield and Pajaro. She says in Spanish that her groups, usually 10-12 moms and their children, have dwindled to two or three moms. “Sometimes I get to work and there is no one,” Álvarez says. In Pajaro, she says that instead of moms bringing their children, older brothers and sisters who are U.S. citizens are now bringing their younger siblings to the play group. It’s hard to quantify fear. But in interviews, immigrants (whose names have been changed in this story at their request to protect them from possible repercussions) in Monterey County share the ways in which their lives have changed, both big and small. Isabel, 21, an undocumented Indigenous farmworker, has lived in Greenfield with her husband and two sons, 2 and 6, for the past three years. Only the younger son is a U.S. citizen. Isabel and her husband have previously worked six days a week in the Salinas and Pajaro Valleys and Gilroy harvesting lettuce. Their commute begins around 1am or 2am when the sky is still dark. “We leave early. We don’t feel comfortable leaving our children at home and seeing if we would come back or not,” Isabel says in Spanish. “We go with fear to work.” The fields are now no longer just her workplace, but the last place Isabel might see if she’s taken away from her family. Working in darkness and in an open field makes her feel like an easy target. “It’s difficult,” she says. Instead of focusing on work and family, she says her mind is full of fear. Since the new administration started and ICE detentions have drawn public attention in Monterey County, Isabel and her husband stopped commuting further than Watsonville, fearing possible raids. She adds that sometimes only one-third of the workers come to work for the same reason. “A lot of people don’t show anymore,” she says. Their family routine has also changed. They now stay home instead of going out on weekends. Before, Isabel and her family had picnics at Lake Nacimiento or the beach in Monterey or Carmel. “The kids want to go out,” Isabel says. “We explain to them what’s going on and they understand.” Isabel and her husband have discussed possible self-deportation. One idea is for her to return to Mexico with both kids; that way they can leave on their terms. Isabel isn’t fond of that option, because their kids won’t have the same opportunities to succeed in Mexico. (Nearly 20 percent of Mexicans identify as Indigenous, but only 1 percent attend college. According to the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy, known as CONEVAL by its Spanish acronym, 4 out of 10 Indigenous people of school age don’t go to school.) Her oldest, who was born in Mexico, will start first grade this year: “I want him to study. To get a good job.” Elected officials and community leaders from Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties held a joint press conference on June 16 to demonstrate their support for immigrant residents. CELIA JIMÉNEZ
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