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Immigration raids have invaded not just L.A. but also its psyche
Immigration raids have invaded not just L.A. but also its psyche

Los Angeles Times

time6 days ago

  • Politics
  • Los Angeles Times

Immigration raids have invaded not just L.A. but also its psyche

It might be hard for outsiders to realize how pervasive the Trump administration's immigration raids feel here in Southern California. Friends describe relatives been pulled over for no apparent reason. Neighbors tell me of housekeepers and gardeners too afraid to come to work. Times reporters Rachel Uranga and Brittny Mejia have been in the thick of our comprehensive coverage of the raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their reports have shown that the vast majority of those hauled away have had no prior criminal convictions. So I talked to them about the impact of the unprecedented intervention, which began six weeks ago. Rachel has been on the story since the first Saturday in June, when she went to observe the large scale raid at Ambiance Apparel, a sprawling fast-fashion warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. She found immigrant rights groups and family members, who quickly learned of the action via social media and a rapid response network set up in anticipation of a crackdown. Advocates pulled up with a flatbed truck and a bullhorn. There were lawyers, video streamers filming and a large federal presence. The day ended with a union leader arrested, agents throwing gas canisters and what became the kickoff of an unprecedented showdown. As in many 21st century confrontations, Brittny recalled how video posted on social media gave an idea of how widespread the raids were. They seemed to flood in every day for a time: detainees being tackled by agents in camouflage, vendor stands left abandoned after arrests. A few of the actions stand out because of their size, like last week's raid on Glass House Farms, the Camarillo cannabis operation. Federal officials arrested more than 300 people and one man trying to flee, Jaime Alanís Garcia, fell to his death from the top of a greenhouse. The death of the 57-year-old worker reinforced the high stakes of the raids. The arrests of 31 people at a Home Depot in Hollywood also got a fair amount of attention. Rachel got initial data from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHRLA) that showed higher arrest levels in Hollywood, Pico Rivera and Bell Gardens. The big change Brittny and Rachel have noticed in the neighborhoods they're covering is fear. 'The Fashion and Flower District emptied out after the raids,' Rachel said. 'From Compton to Maywood to Montebello, people are carrying their passports, fearing the color of their skin could get them stopped. Day care centers stand quiet because parents are afraid if they leave their children there, they might not get to see them again.' Many immigrants are considering self-deportation, Brittny noted. 'One video in particular stood out to me, posted by Julie Ear about her mom self-deporting after being in the country for decades. I watched this play out during President Trump's first term, following a family who made the difficult decision to leave.' Brittny told me that stories about American citizens swept up in the raids are among the ones that have troubled readers the most. She and Rachel told the story of Brian Gavidia, who was questioned by Border Patrol agents about the hospital he was born in. Gavidia is now a named plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They have also heard from readers who support President Trump and who accuse Joe Biden of allowing millions of undocumented immigrants into the country. Brittny found one email particularly jarring. 'Most Americans don't want Mexican criminals living here illegally,' the email read. 'These judges are [trash imogi.] They are paid off by [billionaire political donor George] Soros. I hope Trump defies that idiot judge and ICE brutalizes as many illegals as they can.' Suzy McLaughlin says, ''Abbott Elementary.' I never get sick of this show and the stellar cast and smartly crafted scripts bring me joy every episode!' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Today's great photo is from Times photographer Carlin Stiehl. The Times recently explored the history of homelessness in L.A. where unhoused people on Skid Row talked about current conditions in their own words. Jim Rainey, staff writerDiamy Wang, homepage internIzzy Nunes, audience internKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on

Faith leaders come together to defend immigrant communities amid federal raids
Faith leaders come together to defend immigrant communities amid federal raids

Los Angeles Times

time19-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Los Angeles Times

Faith leaders come together to defend immigrant communities amid federal raids

More than a dozen religious leaders from an array of faiths marched to the steps of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night, flowers in hand, calling for an end to the federal immigration raids they say have torn families apart and resulted in racial profiling. At the start of the procession in Plaza Olvera, Rev. Tanya Lopez, senior pastor at Downey Memorial Christian Church, recounted how last week she watched as plainclothes federal agents swarmed a constituent in the parking lot of her church. Despite her attempts to intervene, she said, the man was detained and she doesn't know where he is now. 'All of our faith traditions teach us to love our neighbor, to leave the world with less suffering than when we find it, and this is creating trauma that will be unable to be undone for generations,' Lopez said. Federal enforcement actions have played out across Southern California this week as the Trump administration carries out its vows to do mass deportations of immigrants in the country without documentation. Initially, President Trump focused his rhetoric on undocumented immigrants who had committed violent crimes. But shortly after he took office, his administration made clear that they consider anyone in the country without authorization to be a criminal. The raids — which have spanned bus stops, Home Depot parking lots, swap meets, farms and factories — have prompted many immigrants to go into hiding, and in some cases, to self-deport. The religious leaders marching Wednesday called for a halt to the raids, saying immigrants are integral to the Los Angeles community and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of documentation status. They carried their message through downtown, marching from Plaza Olvera to the Federal Building, dressed in colorful garb reflecting Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Catholic traditions, and uniting in song and prayer, in both Spanish and English. They called out to God, Creator, the Holy One, and prayed for healing and justice. They prayed for the hundreds of people who have been detained and deported and the families they've left behind. In the crowd, Talia Guppy held purple flowers to her chest as she sang along. Guppy said she learned that members of her Episcopalian church, St. Stephen's Hollywood, had been detained during the raid of the Ambiance Apparel factory. Her church has since moved its services online to accommodate people afraid to venture from their homes. 'We're out here for them,' she said. 'We're going to keep the hope and keep the faith until we get justice for them.' At the end of the procession, the marchers approached the steps of the Federal Building. Officers from the Department of Homeland Security poured out of the building and guarded the entrance as clergy leaders lined the steps. Inside, behind semi-reflective doors, rows of U.S. Marines stood at the ready. The leaders called for peace and laid flowers on the steps in tribute to those who have been detained. 'We come with flowers, and we will keep coming with flowers as long as our loved ones are held in cages,' said Valarie Kaur, a Sikh leader. She turned her attention to the officers at the doors, who stood stoic, and questioned how they wanted to be remembered by history. Then she placed flowers by their feet. In the crowd, protesters held signs with images of the Virgin Mary and Mexican flags. The clergy asked them to be ready to defend their neighbors in the coming days. Father Brendan Busse, a Jesuit priest at the Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, said he has felt the impact of the raids within his church. Devoted members are no longer in the pews. Others call asking if it is safe to come to church. The fear is palpable. 'We need to be a safe space for people, not just in our church, but in the whole neighborhood,' he said. 'I can't guarantee to anybody that we are a totally safe space, but to at least give them a sense that in the difficult moment we're at, that we stand together.' This article is part of The Times' equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California's economic divide.

L.A. County supervisor worries its ‘bad players' — not ICE — terrorizing residents
L.A. County supervisor worries its ‘bad players' — not ICE — terrorizing residents

Los Angeles Times

time18-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Los Angeles Times

L.A. County supervisor worries its ‘bad players' — not ICE — terrorizing residents

Tensions flared Tuesday as an L.A. County supervisor suggested some of the masked men detaining residents across the region were not immigration officials, but rather 'bad players' impersonating immigration enforcement. Supervisor Kathryn Barger said a staff member's godson was recently pulled over by two men in an unmarked car with flashing lights, who told him he had a 'nice truck for someone with that surname.' One man asked him to get out of the car, while the other tried to open the side door, she told her colleagues at the weekly board meeting. As people on the street began to record the confrontation, the two men drove away. 'I tell you this story because we don't know if they were ICE agents or not,' said Barger, the sole Republican on the board. 'Make no mistake about it: It isn't people impersonating ICE,' Supervisor Janice Hahn shot back. 'It is ICE.' Barger said she called Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report the incident. She never heard back. 'I do believe there may be people out there impersonating ICE, taking advantage of this population,' said Barger. County lawyers told the supervisors it was a requirement that immigration officials identify themselves during an arrest, but said there was 'some room' as to when that is required to happen. California lawmakers on Monday proposed a new state law to ban members of law enforcement, including federal immigration agents, from wearing masks while on the job, with some exceptions. Any attempt by the state to restrict federal law enforcement officers would likely face a legal challenge. In some of the videos circulating of recent raids, questions linger over what agency was responsible. A military-style vehicle arrived at a Compton home last week in what residents say was a immigration raid, though ICE never confirmed the account. In other videos, officials appear in unmarked cars, their faces hidden behind masks. 'I don't understand the reason they have to wear the half-face, ski-type mask in L.A. in the summer,' said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who suggested the county support the recently proposed bill that would prohibit law enforcement from hiding their face. The discussion came as the supervisors prepared to vote on a motion, crafted by Supervisor Hilda Solis, that asked for a study of how the recent immigration blitz had impacted the county's economy. Since the raids began, many parts of the county have gone eerily quiet with residents saying they're petrified to leave their home. 'They are terrorized,' said Solis of many within the county's immigrant population. 'You don't see them.' The areas surrounding downtown, which Solis represents, have been been hit particularly hard, amid protests, a curfew and a raid at Ambiance Apparel that ensnared dozens of people. Business owners in the city's Fashion District say sales have dropped in half. But the impact extends far beyond downtown. Restaurant owners in Boyle Heights, a predominantly Latino working-class neighborhood, say business has dried up. Residents in Hawthorne, where half the population is Latino, say they're frightened to leave their home. Street vendors have disappeared from their usual corners. Food pantries lines have gotten shorter, said Solis. 'Even Metro is empty,' Rigo Reyes, head of the county's Office of Immigrant Affairs, told the Board. 'No one is willing to come out of their homes.'

Will mom get detained? Is dad going to work? Answering kids' big questions amid ICE raids
Will mom get detained? Is dad going to work? Answering kids' big questions amid ICE raids

Yahoo

time15-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Will mom get detained? Is dad going to work? Answering kids' big questions amid ICE raids

By the time Josefina and her husband sat down to talk, the immigration raids had been going on for days, and protests over the federal actions had turned violent in parts of downtown Los Angeles. At night, they could hear the helicopters from their Boyle Heights home. The couple couldn't afford to put off the conversation any longer — fear was mounting over the potential separation of their family. Josefina's husband, a garment worker, is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided the Ambiance Apparel garment factory June 6, the couple's 15- and 19-year-old children had texted their father in a panic. He, too, works at a garment factory. Should he go to work? That's what they had to hash out Tuesday night. The couple was seated in the dining room. Their children were engrossed in a movie in the living room. The parents had not wanted their kids to hear the conversation — and figured they were out of earshot. They weren't. 'Dad should just stay home,' the teenagers insisted. And with that, the whole family was part of a difficult conversation. It was not how the couple had scripted it, but Josefina came to terms with keeping the kids in the know. 'I've done my best to shield them, but they have a lot of questions,' said Josefina, who like others in this report asked that she and her family not be fully identified over safety concerns. 'They're trying to understand what happens after this. So what I've been offering them is that this isn't how things are going to be forever, that there's power in community.' Conversations like the one in Josefina's dining room are unfolding across the Los Angeles region, as families with undocumented members grapple with fraught questions pushed to the fore by the Trump administration's chaotic crackdown on what he has called a "Migrant Invasion." Could mom be arrested? What happens if dad can't go to work? These and other queries are sparking excruciating — and potentially life-altering — discussions centered on planning for the possible deportation of a family member. Parents are often conflicted about how much to tell their children — even when dealing with ordinary issues. But the intense anguish some feel at this moment has exacerbated the dilemma. Child psychologists and counselors said children should be brought into the fold for these crucial conversations in age-appropriate ways. Doing so, said licensed clinical social worker Yessenia O. Aguirre, will help kids reckon with a moment suffused with anxiety. "I would counsel people to have the conversations from early on," said Aguirre, who is co-developing a coloring book for parents to help them navigate fears and anxieties related to immigration. "Kids can know about real dangers and still have a joyous childhood. We don't have to protect our kids from things they are already going to hear from the news, social media, and from just going to school." If there was ever a week in which children might have heard about issues related to immigration, it was this past one in L.A. Aggressive sweeps by ICE were met with fierce resistance by protesters and others beginning June 6. A Home Depot in Paramount became a flash point after border patrol agents began massing there early on June 7. Eventually, the scene erupted, with demonstrators clashing with authorities, leading to multiple arrests. The episode was one of the triggers that led the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops to L.A. over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom. ICE forays deep into neighborhoods have continued, sparking new outrage. On Wednesday, The Times reported that a 9-year-old Torrance Elementary School student and his father were deported to Honduras. The cascading events have made it a profoundly uncertain time for immigrant families. And that can spawn anxiety, said psychologist Melissa Brymer, a director at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. But there are, she said, simple actions parents can take to help children, such as organizing a comforting family meal or arranging for other relatives to check in on a youngster to increase their sense of security. Even asking kids if they are getting a good night's sleep can spark a wider discussion about how they are faring. "Kids are usually willing to talk about it from a sleep perspective," Brymer said. Crowded around the dining room table, Josefina and her husband told their children that they would decide whether he'd return to work by Friday. Even though the kids were now part of the conversation, it was still going to be the adults' decision. They had to weigh the risk of a workplace raid and the husband's possible arrest against the financial implications of losing a vital source of income. The family was trying to save money to pay for a legal defense, Josefina said, should her husband be detained. 'We don't have the money to be like, 'Oh yeah, quit your job,'" Josefina said. Until the teenagers overheard their conversation, Josefina hoped they knew enough to draw comfort from the family's plans. She said, for example, that the kids know what to do if ICE officers come to their house and which lawyers to call if their father is detained. That, experts said, is the right instinct. Aguirre said that preteens and teenagers "pick up on our moods," and may understand more than parents realize. "They are sensing our anxiety, they are looking at our behaviors," she said. "They may want to listen in and see what's underneath if we aren't speaking up." When broaching a tough topic, older kids should be given "space to vent," Aguirre said, and parents should resist the urge to immediately tell their children not to be scared or worry. Instead, they can empathize, telling them, "It makes sense — we are all so scared." Parents can also convey that they have a plan, and clue the kids in on it. "At that age," Aguirre said of teenagers, "it is more of a family dynamic — where they are included." Some scenarios — such as detainment of a parent — are dark. But kids should be made aware of them, Brymer said. "I think it's truly important that we talk to kids about potential separation," she said. "Kids are worried about that, and so let's make sure we talk it over with them. How may a potential separation impact them?" As for Josefina's family, they decided that her husband — who immigrated from Mexico when he was in elementary school about 40 years ago — would return to work. "He decided, 'I still have a responsibility, and I still want to help provide,'" she said. For their 15-year-old daughter, having a plan has made her feel safer. 'I feel like out of my whole family, I'm the least afraid of the stuff that's happening," she said. "I think it's because I have hope in our people in L.A.' Read more: Fears of ICE raids upend life in L.A. County, from schools to Home Depot parking lots Ana's son was set to graduate from eighth grade on Tuesday, and amid the ongoing ICE sweeps, her family had wrestled with whether to attend the celebration at his Mid-Wilshire area school. Her husband is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. And she is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the 2012 policy that provides protection from deportation to immigrants without lawful status who came to the U.S. as children. The program has been the focus of a lengthy legal challenge and could eventually be ruled illegal. Their 14-year-old son knew the stakes. 'He understands what's happening — that there are arrests,' Ana said. Still, the family decided to attend the graduation. Even so, on the morning of the event, their son wanted to revisit the decision, asking his parents if they were comfortable with it. He even suggested they could watch the ceremony from home on a livestream the school had arranged. 'I told him, 'No, we're going to accompany you,'' Ana said. 'And we did. In the end it was worth it to be with him and applaud his successes.' Read more: Graduation day at Maywood Academy High, where students are 98% Latino, 100% all-American Experts could understand her decision. Maintaining a sense of normalcy — when it is safe to do so — helps kids stay on an even keel. Brymer recommends encouraging them to continue to go to school and summer activities if possible, and to participate in their typical social events. 'Kids do better with routines,' she said. "They should be allowed to play and interact.' Aguirre, however, noted that children crave "a sense of safety and connection with loved ones" more than they desire a "sense of normalcy." She added: "It might not be the best time to keep that normalcy — that puts a lot of pressure on parents." If attending a public event or milestone celebration presents a big risk, Aguirre said, parents might consider opting out, and making plans to ensure their presence is felt from afar. "Prep the child ahead of time and say, 'We are not able to physically be there, but we are so proud of this accomplishment,'" Aguirre said. She said parents might tell their child, "We are going to ask [a friend at the event] to blow this whistle, and when they blow it, know that we are there." "For eighth-graders, there would be heartache around not having parents there, but I can also imagine if anything were to happen, they would feel a lot of guilt," Aguirre said. On the day of Ana's son's graduation, the school auditorium opened hours early, so that families did not have to wait on the sidewalk. But the celebration was bittersweet, she said. Fear was palpable among both the students and the crowd. And familiar faces were absent. 'It's a little hard to face sometimes,' Ana said. 'But at the same time we have to be with them in these important moments in life.' Paige and her 8- and 11-year-old daughters stood in front of Long Beach Civic Center on Tuesday evening, alongside roughly 400 other protesters. They chanted slogans near the Port Headquarters building amid signs and swirling American and Mexican flags. 'Seeking safety is NOT a crime,' one sign read. 'Humans are not illegal,' said another. Read more: Immigration raids have shaken communities across Los Angeles County. How can you help? The family isn't new to protesting. Paige and both daughters took to the streets in 2020 after George Floyd's murder sparked outrage. But this time the issue is personal: The girls' father is an undocumented Mexican immigrant. 'Now that it's impacting our family significantly, it's a bit harder for her,' Paige said of her younger daughter. 'She's fighting for her family.' Paige is separated from the girls' father, and he lives elsewhere. It's been difficult for the kids to spend nights apart from him, she said. To allay their worries, he's stayed over a couple of nights. And attending the protest provided additional comfort, because it showed the children that they were part of a supportive community. In times of crisis, giving kids the chance to express themselves by participating in the moment helps them process their feelings, Brymer said. "People are out protesting because they love their culture, and they're trying to advocate for their rights and for rights of" others, she said. But participating doesn't necessarily have to mean protesting, which may not feel appropriate for some, Aguirre said. Instead, children can help in other ways, such as helping to deliver groceries for a vulnerable neighbor, she said. It's important, Brymer said, to acknowledge that children "really want to be those agents of change." Sequeira reports for The Times' early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Will mom get detained? Is dad going to work? Answering kids' big questions amid ICE raids
Will mom get detained? Is dad going to work? Answering kids' big questions amid ICE raids

Los Angeles Times

time15-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Los Angeles Times

Will mom get detained? Is dad going to work? Answering kids' big questions amid ICE raids

By the time Josefina and her husband sat down to talk, the immigration raids had been going on for days, and protests over the federal actions had turned violent in parts of downtown Los Angeles. At night, they could hear the helicopters from their Boyle Heights home. The couple couldn't afford to put off the conversation any longer — fear was mounting over the potential separation of their family. Josefina's husband, a garment worker, is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided the Ambiance Apparel garment factory June 6, the couple's 15- and 19-year-old children had texted their father in a panic. He, too, works at a garment factory. Should he go to work? That's what they had to hash out Tuesday night. The couple was seated in the dining room. Their children were engrossed in a movie in the living room. The parents had not wanted their kids to hear the conversation — and figured they were out of earshot. They weren't. 'Dad should just stay home,' the teenagers insisted. And with that, the whole family was part of a difficult conversation. It was not how the couple had scripted it, but Josefina came to terms with keeping the kids in the know. 'I've done my best to shield them, but they have a lot of questions,' said Josefina, who like others in this report asked that she and her family not be fully identified over safety concerns. 'They're trying to understand what happens after this. So what I've been offering them is that this isn't how things are going to be forever, that there's power in community.' Conversations like the one in Josefina's dining room are unfolding across the Los Angeles region, as families with undocumented members grapple with fraught questions pushed to the fore by the Trump administration's chaotic crackdown on what he has called a 'Migrant Invasion.' Could mom be arrested? What happens if dad can't go to work? These and other queries are sparking excruciating — and potentially life-altering — discussions centered on planning for the possible deportation of a family member. Parents are often conflicted about how much to tell their children — even when dealing with ordinary issues. But the intense anguish some feel at this moment has exacerbated the dilemma. Child psychologists and counselors said children should be brought into the fold for these crucial conversations in age-appropriate ways. Doing so, said licensed clinical social worker Yessenia O. Aguirre, will help kids reckon with a moment suffused with anxiety. 'I would counsel people to have the conversations from early on,' said Aguirre, who is co-developing a coloring book for parents to help them navigate fears and anxieties related to immigration. 'Kids can know about real dangers and still have a joyous childhood. We don't have to protect our kids from things they are already going to hear from the news, social media, and from just going to school.' If there was ever a week in which children might have heard about issues related to immigration, it was this past one in L.A. Aggressive sweeps by ICE were met with fierce resistance by protesters and others beginning June 6. A Home Depot in Paramount became a flash point after border patrol agents began massing there early on June 7. Eventually, the scene erupted, with demonstrators clashing with authorities, leading to multiple arrests. The episode was one of the triggers that led the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops to L.A. over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom. ICE forays deep into neighborhoods have continued, sparking new outrage. On Wednesday, The Times reported that a 9-year-old Torrance Elementary School student and his father were deported to Honduras. The cascading events have made it a profoundly uncertain time for immigrant families. And that can spawn anxiety, said psychologist Melissa Brymer, a director at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. But there are, she said, simple actions parents can take to help children, such as organizing a comforting family meal or arranging for other relatives to check in on a youngster to increase their sense of security. Even asking kids if they are getting a good night's sleep can spark a wider discussion about how they are faring. 'Kids are usually willing to talk about it from a sleep perspective,' Brymer said. Crowded around the dining room table, Josefina and her husband told their children that they would decide whether he'd return to work by Friday. Even though the kids were now part of the conversation, it was still going to be the adults' decision. They had to weigh the risk of a workplace raid and the husband's possible arrest against the financial implications of losing a vital source of income. The family was trying to save money to pay for a legal defense, Josefina said, should her husband be detained. 'We don't have the money to be like, 'Oh yeah, quit your job,'' Josefina said. Until the teenagers overheard their conversation, Josefina hoped they knew enough to draw comfort from the family's plans. She said, for example, that the kids know what to do if ICE officers come to their house and which lawyers to call if their father is detained. That, experts said, is the right instinct. Aguirre said that preteens and teenagers 'pick up on our moods,' and may understand more than parents realize. 'They are sensing our anxiety, they are looking at our behaviors,' she said. 'They may want to listen in and see what's underneath if we aren't speaking up.' When broaching a tough topic, older kids should be given 'space to vent,' Aguirre said, and parents should resist the urge to immediately tell their children not to be scared or worry. Instead, they can empathize, telling them, 'It makes sense — we are all so scared.' Parents can also convey that they have a plan, and clue the kids in on it. 'At that age,' Aguirre said of teenagers, 'it is more of a family dynamic — where they are included.' Some scenarios — such as detainment of a parent — are dark. But kids should be made aware of them, Brymer said. 'I think it's truly important that we talk to kids about potential separation,' she said. 'Kids are worried about that, and so let's make sure we talk it over with them. How may a potential separation impact them?' As for Josefina's family, they decided that her husband — who immigrated from Mexico when he was in elementary school about 40 years ago — would return to work. 'He decided, 'I still have a responsibility, and I still want to help provide,'' she said. For their 15-year-old daughter, having a plan has made her feel safer. 'I feel like out of my whole family, I'm the least afraid of the stuff that's happening,' she said. 'I think it's because I have hope in our people in L.A.' Ana's son was set to graduate from eighth grade on Tuesday, and amid the ongoing ICE sweeps, her family had wrestled with whether to attend the celebration at his Mid-Wilshire area school. Her husband is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. And she is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the 2012 policy that provides protection from deportation to immigrants without lawful status who came to the U.S. as children. The program has been the focus of a lengthy legal challenge and could eventually be ruled illegal. Their 14-year-old son knew the stakes. 'He understands what's happening — that there are arrests,' Ana said. Still, the family decided to attend the graduation. Even so, on the morning of the event, their son wanted to revisit the decision, asking his parents if they were comfortable with it. He even suggested they could watch the ceremony from home on a livestream the school had arranged. 'I told him, 'No, we're going to accompany you,'' Ana said. 'And we did. In the end it was worth it to be with him and applaud his successes.' Experts could understand her decision. Maintaining a sense of normalcy — when it is safe to do so — helps kids stay on an even keel. Brymer recommends encouraging them to continue to go to school and summer activities if possible, and to participate in their typical social events. 'Kids do better with routines,' she said. 'They should be allowed to play and interact.' Aguirre, however, noted that children crave 'a sense of safety and connection with loved ones' more than they desire a 'sense of normalcy.' She added: 'It might not be the best time to keep that normalcy — that puts a lot of pressure on parents.' If attending a public event or milestone celebration presents a big risk, Aguirre said, parents might consider opting out, and making plans to ensure their presence is felt from afar. 'Prep the child ahead of time and say, 'We are not able to physically be there, but we are so proud of this accomplishment,'' Aguirre said. She said parents might tell their child, 'We are going to ask [a friend at the event] to blow this whistle, and when they blow it, know that we are there.' 'For eighth-graders, there would be heartache around not having parents there, but I can also imagine if anything were to happen, they would feel a lot of guilt,' Aguirre said. On the day of Ana's son's graduation, the school auditorium opened hours early, so that families did not have to wait on the sidewalk. But the celebration was bittersweet, she said. Fear was palpable among both the students and the crowd. And familiar faces were absent. 'It's a little hard to face sometimes,' Ana said. 'But at the same time we have to be with them in these important moments in life.' Paige and her 8- and 11-year-old daughters stood in front of Long Beach Civic Center on Tuesday evening, alongside roughly 400 other protesters. They chanted slogans near the Port Headquarters building amid signs and swirling American and Mexican flags. 'Seeking safety is NOT a crime,' one sign read. 'Humans are not illegal,' said another. The family isn't new to protesting. Paige and both daughters took to the streets in 2020 after George Floyd's murder sparked outrage. But this time the issue is personal: The girls' father is an undocumented Mexican immigrant. 'Now that it's impacting our family significantly, it's a bit harder for her,' Paige said of her younger daughter. 'She's fighting for her family.' Paige is separated from the girls' father, and he lives elsewhere. It's been difficult for the kids to spend nights apart from him, she said. To allay their worries, he's stayed over a couple of nights. And attending the protest provided additional comfort, because it showed the children that they were part of a supportive community. In times of crisis, giving kids the chance to express themselves by participating in the moment helps them process their feelings, Brymer said. 'People are out protesting because they love their culture, and they're trying to advocate for their rights and for rights of' others, she said. But participating doesn't necessarily have to mean protesting, which may not feel appropriate for some, Aguirre said. Instead, children can help in other ways, such as helping to deliver groceries for a vulnerable neighbor, she said. It's important, Brymer said, to acknowledge that children 'really want to be those agents of change.' Sequeira reports for The Times' early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to

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