Orange County community groups, activists and many residents aren’t waiting for local politicians to help curb the impact of ICE raids.
They’re not waiting for official local government programs to give them critical assistance.
Much like the pandemic, many residents are banding together to let the community know when federal immigration authorities are in town through neighborhood watches.
Community leaders have also established a network of direct aid to some of OC’s most impacted families.
There’s an increasing focus on the deportation sweeps after federal agents punched a local landscaper in the head while they were arresting him in Santa Ana on June 21 – an arrest that sparked division on the Orange City Council this week.
[Read: Division Over ICE Raids Flares up in Orange]
There was a planned protest today at noon at the IHop on Edinger Avenue in Santa Ana – where the controversial arrest happened — but it was cancelled.
A Violent Arrest Renews Community Focus
There’s an increasing focus on the ICE raids from local residents and community organizations after a viral video made its rounds online, showing a violent arrest in Santa Ana – where federal agents punched a man on the ground before handcuffing him.
It comes after 48-year-old Orange resident Narciso Barranco was arrested by federal authorities in Santa Ana while he was trimming a lawn, doing a side job for extra income.
His 25-year-old son, Alejandro Barranco, expressed anger over the viral videos of his dad’s arrest.
“I got sent the video where he was getting beat and I’m like Jesus Christ, there’s no way. I felt so much anger,” Barranco said in a Tuesday interview. “I remember throwing my phone on the ground saying there’s no way – I was so mad.”
But the Department of Homeland Security says Barranco tried assaulting a federal immigration officer.
“He ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER. Perhaps the mainstream media would like our officers to stand there and be mowed down instead of defending themselves?” reads a June 23 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Alejandro Barranco said his father – who’s been trying to get immigration documents since February – didn’t try assaulting a federal agent and was running away out of fear.
“No, nowhere in the video is the weedwacker near the agents,” Alejandro Barranco said, adding that his father was reacting to being pepper sprayed.
“They were just in the area, saw him, came up to him and he just ran away,” he said in a Tuesday interview.
On June 24, Alejandro Barranco said he visited his father in a Los Angeles detention center.
“He just said that it’s a mess and he’s with a lot of people – like 70 plus people. One toilet. He still has the same clothes on when they picked him up, there’s blood on his shirt from the attack. Very minimal food and water once a day,” Alejandro Barranco said.
In follow-up text messages, Alejandro Barranco said his father was moved to an Adelanto detention facility.
Since the viral videos and national news headlines, Orange County residents and people from all over the country showed an outpouring of support for Narciso Barranco and his family through a GoFundMe account.
As of Thursday afternoon, nearly $215,000 was raised – up from the roughly $130,000 raised as of Tuesday morning.
Alejandro Barranco said his father told him to sell the work truck so they can pay for an attorney
Until his son told him about the donations.
“He opened his eyes and it brought some life to him,” Alejandro Barranco said in the Tuesday interview, adding that he told his father “money is the last thing you should worry about right now. Just make sure you do everything on your part to not sign anything, not say anything and if they try to accuse you of anything – just say you need your lawyer present. Just know your rights – you have rights.”
He said his father couldn’t believe the widespread support.
“The message he has to everyone who helped out is a big thank you. From the bottom of his heart, he really appreciates everyone coming together to help,” Alejandro Barranco said.
On Friday a small vigil and demonstration was held on the corner of Edinger Avenue and Ritchey Avenue in Santa Ana – near the IHop where Narciso Barranco was arrested by federal agents.
“Thank you to everyone who helped,” Alejandro Barranco said to a crowd of nearly 100 people on Friday evening.
He said the moment is bigger than his father’s arrest.
“There’s so many more people going through situations like this right now and it finally hit me that this is bigger than us,” Alejandro Barranco said.
The vigil, spearheaded by the Orange County Rapid Response Network in conjunction with the Barranco family, saw a host of community organizers and local elected officials show up.
Assemblyman Avelino Valencia, who represents parts of Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana, said the community needs to stick together
“We need to ensure our communities stand together,” Valencia told the crowd on Friday. “We’re resilient – we’ve been through this before.”
Neighborhood ICE Raids Spur Community Action
Barranco’s arrest comes less than a week after federal agents were first spotted in the Latino-majority Santa Ana neighborhood of Artesia Pilar, when they picked up a local man on Father’s Day.
The man, known by neighbors to recycle bottles and cans on the weekends, was picked up in roughly eight minutes on the morning of June 15.
Nearby El Salvador park was virtually empty that morning.
An uncommon sight.
“It’s been eerily quiet,” said Lucy Solorzano, board member of the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association. “Restaurants are empty, convenience stores – it’s eerie.”
Similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, various community leaders are banding together to form networks of support for Orange County’s most impacted communities.
[Read: Community Efforts to Bring COVID Vaccines to OC’s Hardest Hit Neighborhoods Are Paying Off]
While elected officials in Anaheim rolled out a resource page for their residents, council members in places like Santa Ana are set to debate the issues at their upcoming Tuesday meeting.
Still, a network of local organizations and community leaders are spearheading much of the critical support.
Immigrant advocacy groups, like the OC Rapid Response Network, are providing direct aid to families impacted by the immigration sweeps – money given to people who can’t go to work out of deportation fear or funds sent to a family whose breadwinner was caught up in the sweeps.
“Right now our communities, especially here in Santa Ana, are embracing community defense because our cities and county are not leveraging their budgets to protect the community. They’re also not creating policies to ensure our communities are protected and feel safe,” said OC Rapid Response Network program coordinator Sandra De Anda in a Tuesday phone interview.
As of Monday, De Anda said the OC Rapid Response Network has been able to verify at least 100 people have been caught up in the recent immigration sweeps since June 9.
At Friday’s vigil, State Senator Tom Umberg praised De Anda and the network for their work.
“You said, I’ll do something – I’ll show up and put a face to this. That will lead to change,” Umberg said.
Since the local man was taken by federal agents in Artesia Pilar on June 15, Solorzano said local residents have been stepping up to teach others about their Constitutional rights.
“The mantra is the community is the only one that’ll save the community – that’s what we have to do. People have already posted what a correct warrant looks like,” Solorzano said in a Tuesday phone interview.
It’s a mantra that was echoed by young activists during the “No Kings” protest in Anaheim’s La Palma park on June 8, where organizers estimated up to 15,000 people showed up to peacefully protest immigration sweeps and a host of other federal policies.
Carolina Mendez, digital organizer for the Latino advocacy group, Mijente, said leadership during this time is going to come from the community – especially the youth.
She said if anyone has helped their neighbors and community, “you’re qualified for leadership.”
“We look out for each other because that’s what we do,” Mendez said. “We are not waiting, we are organizing.”
That sentiment was repeated during the June 17 Santa Ana City Council meeting.
“To my Santaneros that have lost a family member this past week, I’m sorry that your city failed you. We’re not afraid to speak. We’re not afraid to fight for our neighbors, and we will not be silenced.” said Elizabeth Orozco, a social worker, during public comment at the Santa Ana council meeting.
Tanya Navarro, a community organizer for the Latino advocacy group, Chispa, expressed similar sentiments.
“Even in this chaos, our people are dancing, they’re marching, they’re cooking for each other, they’re getting each other groceries. They’re showing up for each other. And that’s why you can’t take it from us no matter what,” said Navarro, who also criticized Mayor Valerie Amezcua’s leadership during the immigration sweeps.
In Spanish, she said the community loves the city – and will defend itself.
“Santa Ana Se Ama y se defiende siempre despite your failures,” Navarro said.
Protecting Neighbors
One local pastor in a Santa Ana working-class neighborhood is locking doors and stationing lookouts with walkie-talkies outside his church – similar to lookout programs run by the OC Rapid Response Network.
“Those who have papers stand guard outside, to keep a lookout and if there is an ICE agent, and if they try to come in, we lock the door and demand a warrant,” said the pastor, who notes far fewer people have been going to church since the raids began earlier this month.
“I also once came here as someone undocumented.”
“Normally, the aisles have people standing, and the overflow outside is full,” said one church usher.
“It’s very nerve-wrecking and frightening to see this.”
Undocumented families are also facing food insecurity.
For one food bank leader in Santa Ana, those families are her priority.
Erika Robles, the founder and CEO of the United Across Borders Foundation, put her planned wedding on hold this month to make sure undocumented families get the critical food supplies they need.
“I’m not going to stop because I’m a fighter, I know I’m going to get married, I have been expecting this wedding for almost 32 years, but at the end I am going to be there for my community–especially for my Latino community because we are the ones being attacked the most right now,” said Robles.
“They are treating us like animals.”
“I am here to support my immigrant brothers and sisters,” said Miguel Vasquez, a volunteer with United Across Borders Foundation, and president of non-profit Grupo Versage.
“This is so sad. We are trying to help out those who need it.”
Alejandro Barranco, whose father’s controversial arrest sparked national headlines, said he and his family would be in a much different spot without community leaders, local organizations and residents helping out impacted families.
“The community really helped my family out, helped me out – everyone out. They’re doing a crazy job, I don’t have words to describe how everyone’s coming together and helping each other out. It’s insane.”
Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.
Julie Leopo is Voice of OC’s director of photography. You can reach her at jleopo@voiceofoc.org.