Read the full article by Srishti Prabha at RAM’s New Times Magazine
California currently ranks third in the nation for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, behind Texas and Florida, according to data published in the Deportation Data Project from UCLA and UC Berkeley. In 2025, ICE arrests in Northern California have nearly doubled — up 123% from late 2024 — with more than half of those detained possessing no criminal record, according to the SF Chronicle. As fear spreads among immigrant workers, the state’s workforce has seen a 3.1% drop.
NorCal Resist, founded in 2017 as a mutual-aid collective, has become a critical lifeline for immigrant families in Sacramento and beyond. The group offers a range of support such as legal clinics, deportation defense, rapid-response accompaniment, and food and diaper deliveries to those unable to leave the house safely.
“We are seeing an increase in physical violence being used here in Sacramento,” said Program Director Giselle Garcia, pointing to a Home Depot raid on Florin Road in South Sacramento, where ICE agents maced a NorCal Resist volunteer helping day laborers on site, according to news reports. “It should be indefensible and inexcusable.”