In a nation that prides itself on being built by immigrants, North Fair Oaks — an unincorporated San Mateo County community informally known as “Little Mexico” by locals — is confronting a surge of intolerance toward immigrants, fueled by right-wing rhetoric.
As Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump intensifies his promise to carry out the largest mass deportation in American history at campaign rallies, residents gathered Thursday at Casa Circulo Cultural in North Fair Oaks to push back. Community members from this neighborhood of fewer than 15,000, predominantly Latino and Hispanic immigrants, united to advocate for enhanced protections in response to the escalating anti-immigrant pronouncements from the former president and his GOP allies.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 11 million people in the United States live without legal status. If Trump is elected and fulfills his promise to deport them all, it could have devastating consequences – including impacts on housing construction, farming and the economy as a whole.
North Fair Oaks is one of three areas in San Mateo County with a majority Hispanic or Latino population, alongside East Palo Alto in the south and Pescadero on the coast. Overall, at least 25% of San Mateo County’s 764,442 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino.
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Maggie Cornejo, a first-generation Mexican American raised in North Fair Oaks, describes the current climate as reminiscent of the mid-2000s, when feared Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were a frequent presence in her neighborhood.
“A lot of people in my community are afraid of what could happen on Tuesday because one candidate is clearly more vocal about his views on the immigrant community,” Cornejo said.
Now a planning commissioner in nearby Redwood City, Cornejo reflected on her childhood trauma.
“I’m a native of North Fair Oaks, so I remember when many of my classmates’ parents were being deported,” Cornejo said. “That trauma still impacts our generation; we grew up with memories of ICE driving around here to pick people up.”
State Senator Josh Becker, a Democrat representing most of San Mateo County and parts of northern Santa Clara County, addressed community members who may …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
