Calistogans speak out against deportation threats
“Hey hey, ho ho, ICE has got to go,” chanted more than 100 people last Friday as they marched down Lincoln Avenue during a peaceful protest to advocate for justice and solidarity for Calistoga’s immigrant community.
A majority of those who attended the rally, organized by Community Service Organization (CSO) North Bay, were Calistoga Junior-Senior High School students who had walked out of class to attend. At the corner of Lincoln and Fair Way, where the protest began, many held signs as passing cars honked in support.
“My mother works harder than your president,” read a sign in Spanish.
“Roses are red, tacos are enjoyable, don’t blame a Mexican because you are not employable,” read another.
“We have to shout what your parents and my parents keep quiet about because of fear,” read another sign in Spanish referring to a student’s parents and his classmates’ parents.
The event’s organizer Aldo Solano, who grew up in Calistoga but now resides in Santa Rosa, said he had not expected such a big turnout, and was pleased by how many people showed up.
CSO, originally organized in Los Angeles in 1947, was incorporated under the state law as a national organization 1953. Since then, local chapters have been chartered from Calexico to Sacramento in California and in Arizona.
“There is a lot going on in our community here and we were seeking an organization with a network,” Solano said, adding, “They helped us start a chapter here and we want to stand up and make our voices heard against anti-immigration rhetoric.”
The crowd marched through town, past City Hall and into Pioneer Park, where Calistoga’s Vice Mayor Irais López-Ortega spoke to protesters. Addressing the youth, she encouraged them to speak up for their parents.
“As parents, we come to this country looking for a better life for all of you,” López-Ortega said in Spanish. “Now you are the voice, and you are privileged because you have the opportunity to study and have better job opportunities than we had.
“We are here, and we are not leaving, and if they take us out, we come back,” she told the cheering crowd.
Also in attendance were local business owners including Jennifer Bennett, owner of Lovina and Michael Madden, manager of the Calistoga Depot.
“People don’t seem to realize this when they go out to eat in the wine country, when we drink wine in wine country – I don’t care if you’re eating Italian food, Japanese food, you’re eating Mexican food – you are drinking wines created by these people that live side by side with us,” said Bennett.
“These are not criminals. These are not drug dealers. These are hard-working neighbors and family members and often with children that would be left in the foster care system here without their parents. And that just terrifies me because these are some of the strongest families I’ve ever known,” she said through the megaphone.
Madden said the community of Calistoga needs to stand up to “evil” and to “racism” and to “all the things that this ICE invasion is representing.”
For Calistoga high school student Joseph Cortez, 15, this was his first ever protest. He decided to attend, he said, to support “his people.”
“It felt good,” Cortez said. “I felt like I was doing something for my community, and I was actually making an impact.”
One 28-year-old Calistoga resident said she attended because the situation directly affects her and her husband.
“I am currently in the process of getting (my husband) to be a resident, but it has taken us almost six years,” she said. “Where before it only took somebody anywhere between six to nine months to get approved.”
She said she felt chills watching the younger generations bravely speak up about issues that matter to them.
“It was just amazing, because when I was young, nothing like this ever happened,” she said. “Everyone was always afraid to speak their voice, or everyone would hide behind their parents; and now the kids are coming out for their parents, which is just amazing.”
Since the Trump administration took office in January with the promise of mass deportations and ICE raids, fear, especially among immigrants, has been on the rise across the state. The threats hit especially close to home in Calistoga, which has a significant immigrant population.
In addition to spurring rallies and demonstrations, the federal threats and anti-immigration rhetoric in recent weeks also led local nonprofits and city officials to join forces to form a new organization, called Napa Valley Together: Allies for Immigrants. The group launched a website that aims to keep the community informed about their rights and the law.
Last month in Calistoga, fears were heightened when false rumors spread on social media that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was seen near town. The police department confirmed the rumors were false.
These concerns have encouraged city officials, the Calistoga Police Department and Calistoga Joint Unified School District to hold informational meetings.
The Calistoga police and the school district held a meeting, in person and via Zoom, on Jan. 29 to dispel rumors. At the meeting, City Manager Laura Snideman confirmed there had not been any recent sightings of ICE, though Assistant City Manager Mitch Celaya recalled there had been times, years ago, when ICE had come into town.
Celaya, who until recently was city’s longtime police chief, explained the police department is never told or warned when ICE officials might arrive, and that the police do not provide information to ICE about residents.
“Your status in the community has no bearing on the service we provide,” he said, emphasizing that people should not fear calling the police department if they need help.
Jenny Ocón, Executive Director for UpValley Family Centers, spoke at a Feb. 4 City Council meeting, requesting the city issue a public statement to express support, protection and inclusion for marginalized communities. She said this will help the community trust the city government and feel supported.
“Your leadership matters,” Ocón said. “A statement similar to the one adopted by the Napa County Board of Supervisors can help residents in our community to feel safer to attend school or work.”
Earlier this month UpValley Family Centers recently held a “Know Your Rights” informational meeting at the Calistoga Community Center, where people were educated on their rights when dealing with ICE officials and on how to explore immigration relief. More than 30 people attended.
UpValley Family Centers’ Program Director Indira López-Jones and Eva Tamayo, community educator for the nonprofit’s immigration program, were on hand to answer questions. Calistoga’s Interim Police Chief Joseph Allio was present as well as Celaya, Vice Mayor Lopez-Ortega and Councilmember Kevin Eisenberg.
“I just want to say the city wants to protect all of the residents of Calistoga, no matter where they come from,” Eisenberg said.
Allio said one of the greatest challenges police officers face is the feeling of separation from the community that wearing the uniform brings.
“We want you to know you can call us and we can come and help you,” Allio said. “Sometimes at moments like these, if we don’t know each other, trust each other, if you see me as just like the government, instead of a father with six kids like some of you, you might be afraid to call for help when you need help.”
Celaya shared a personal story, describing the day when he was 8 years old and his grandfather was forced to leave the U.S. Celaya said his grandfather was undocumented. He recalled the day he packed and left. It was the last time he saw his grandfather, who was deported.
“I share this to reinforce, to say, we probably have more in common than you think,” Celaya said during the meeting.
If someone threatens to call ICE, López-Jones said the group, they can file a police report for harassment.
Cleaya added that “Threatening a witness or victim is against the law.”
If family members are held or deported, UpValley Family Centers has a family preparation plan to assist children who might be left without parents.
A 30-year Calistoga resident who attended the meeting talked with Napa Valley News Group about his concerns.
“I think that many people are quite afraid of all the things that are happening,” he said in Spanish. “You have to go out and work with the fear that they’ll deport me and I won’t be coming back. What will become of my children? I’ll (have to) leave them… And you can’t stay at home because if you stay at home you don’t work, there’s no money and there’s no one to pay, so it’s very stressful.”
A woman who has lived in Calistoga since 1999 said after the meeting that she was relieved to know the police are on her side.
“I feel sad, and I often feel very helpless because I can’t help and because we can’t do anything else but bear it and put up with it,” she said. “And the worst thing is what are we going to do, if we don’t have work, what are we going to do with(out) income?” For information about immigration support in Napa County, visit https://napavalleytogether.org/
