The 805 UndocuFund hosted a training for around 100 community members interested in learning more about its Immigrant Rapid Response Network on Nov. 17. The training discussed the risks of preventing detainments by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the different roles within the network.

The Rapid Response Network sends trained volunteers to respond to reports of I.C.E. activity, observe legal proceedings and offer assistance to affected individuals. Alexia Calderon / Daily Nexus

Since the Trump administration increased funding for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) by over $850 million in October, they have begun implementing the president’s “mass removal campaign” of undocumented immigrants. I.C.E. agents have targeted immigrant communities nationwide, resulting in over 527,000 deportations according to an October U.S. Department of Homeland Security press release. 

The campaign has resulted in instances of immigrants being rushed through immigration courts without due process. Additionally, there have been instances in which American citizens and legal residents were detained and even deported, as well as an increase in I.C.E. using terror tactics such as excessive force, and separating families. 

The 805 Immigrant Rapid Response Network (RRN) was created in January and operates across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. The network sends trained volunteers to respond to reports of I.C.E. activity, observe legal proceedings and offer assistance to affected individuals. They regularly hold training sessions and encourage people to get involved with other groups such as Carpenteria Sin Fronteras, SB Resiste and Unión del Barrio.

The training began at 5 p.m. at Campbell Hall with Associated Students (A.S.) President and fourth-year communication, Spanish and global studies triple major Le Anh Metzger welcoming attendees and emphasizing the importance of supporting immigrant communities. Metzger acknowledged the stress and fear many immigrants have felt because of recent I.C.E. activity. 

805 Immigrant RRN organizers Joseph Dobzynski Jr. and Cesar Vasquez then introduced themselves. Vasquez, who’s been organizing since he was 12 years old and recently graduated from high school, shared that he had planned to attend San Diego State University before I.C.E. activity increased and called him to help his community. 

Vasquez then asked attendees to introduce themselves to those around them. Once attendees finished speaking to each other, Vasquez put into perspective the current situation faced by immigrant communities, particularly “Brown” individuals who are visa holders, green card holders or undocumented.

“If every single person in this room filled one of those boxes, this room would disappear in 10 days,” Vasquez said. “In 10 days, every single person that you just said hi to, every name you learned would be gone, would be in a detention center in California, across the US, where [they] would be deported to [their] home country within 10 days.”  

Following this, Vasquez described the circumstances that local immigrants, many living within a couple of miles of campus, have faced due to I.C.E activity. Vasquez emphasized that 1,009 people have been “kidnapped” by I.C.E. on the Central Coast as of Nov. 17, with 58 in November alone.

Dobzynski also explained why 805 UndocuFund has changed its main goals from charity and donation to advocacy and reporting. 

“[The 805 UndocuFund] stopped just being a charity organization for the immigrant community because they don’t need charity, they need empowerment,” Dobzynski said. “Our goal went from just being ‘here’s some cash and luck’ to being something that allows them to thrive, that we actually advocate for immigrants to be recognized in the community for their contributions, that immigrants are here to do the work that nobody else seems to be willing to do, and that they deserve a path to citizenship of some sort.”

According to Dobzynski, across the Central Coast the RRN has documented over 60 I.C.E. vehicles and 100 license plates, which they often switch out. Defining characteristics of I.C.E. vehicles include heavily tinted windows, missing license plates, depersonalized exteriors and “suspicious” driving. Dobzynski also clarified for attendees that vehicles with “CA EXEMPT” license plates are not I.C.E.

Vasquez then explained rights that community members have when interacting with I.C.E., such as the right to remain silent, the right to refuse entry, the right to an attorney and the right to record in public. He also stressed that attendees should keep in mind that many I.C.E. agents may not respect these rights.

“When I cover the constitutional rights that you all have, I want you all to think about the fact that right now we’re living in a time where this area is very, very murky,” Vasquez said. “I am here to tell you all that a lot of these things that you were told don’t apply in this day and age. These constitutional laws, these legal laws that we were taught to uphold, to live by, do not matter to these I.C.E. agents.”

Vasquez and Dobzynski also explained the different roles within the network from “least risk” to “most risk,” with some roles like legal observer, dispatcher and hotline operator requiring further training. Other roles included mutual aid, community outreach, accompaniment, community patrols and responders. Vasquez emphasized that even the roles that may not put volunteers in physical risk, like phone operators, may still be mentally taxing.

Vasquez added that, because of the mass publicization of I.C.E. activities, he would “never allow someone to give [him] an excuse on why [they] cannot get involved” to protect at-risk communities. He emphasized that this was because he believes “we are living in a time that genuinely feels like we’re living through different war crimes on a daily basis.”

“In 15-20 years, the people who didn’t get involved, that’s because they were complicit,” Vasquez said. “That is because they agreed. That is because they allowed for the horrible things to happen.”

Next, Vasquez outlined what happens after someone is detained by I.C.E. He explained they will first be taken to a detention center before being given the choice between seeking a lawyer, self-deporting or applying for asylum. However, according to Vasquez, many people have been immediately deported from I.C.E. detention facilities without being given due process. 

Vasquez described the conditions in detention centers as “really harsh” due to a lack of proper food, water and medication. This has resulted in people dying and getting sick, as well as at least 20 deaths in detention centers this year. Because of this information “getting out,” Vasquez said that many families have chosen to self-deport, or leave the country on their own accord.

Vasquez concluded the training by sharing a speech about how “everything is political,” encouraging attendees to “fight for the unfree” in order to “step towards liberation and freedom for all.”

“I am not here to tell you all that you all are not doing enough, but the reality is, if the world doesn’t realize our lives are political, we will all be equally responsible for every single other kidnapping I have to witness, for every single other kid that has lost a parent or parent that has lost a kid,” Vasquez said.

The training then opened up for audience questions. One attendee asked what detained people should carry with them to help relatives find them. Vasquez explained that it is safest to have relatives keep identification documents, rather than the detained person.

Second-year psychological & brain sciences major Jordan Camacho attended the training and plans to join the RRN. He shared that increased I.C.E. activity has made a family member of his feel “paranoid” for his safety, considering he is undocumented and living in the U.S.

“When Trump first got in, first term, it was kinda whatever, I feel like it was kind of all bark no bite. But the second term is ramped up a lot,” Camacho said. “[A family member] doesn’t drive a car because he’s scared that he would get identified, but it’s even scary for him biking around because he knows that they still have checkpoints and they’ll still look at you even if you’re brown skin[ned].”

Camacho said the training made him feel empowered and proud of the community.

“I find it amazing how connected everybody that’s passionate about this is, and there is a community out there and people that are willing to help, and ways you can get involved,” Camacho said. “I feel like it’s undermined, people don’t really realize it, but there [are] a lot of ways you can help, even if you think it’s minor, it helps in the grand scheme of things a lot.”

Potential I.C.E. sightings can be reported to the RRN by calling 805-870-8855. The Nexus records I.C.E. sightings in Santa Barbara County online.

A version of this article appeared on p.4 of the Nov. 20 print edition of the Daily Nexus.