This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
Last week, organizers of a community holiday festival in San Marcos were busy planning a neighborhood procession and readying trays of tamales for guests.
At the same time, they were preparing security to watch for ICE activity in the largely low-income, Latino area of North County San Diego.
“We rely on the community,” said San Marcos Councilmember Maria Nuñez, who represents San Marcos’ District 1, where 55% of the voting age population is Hispanic. “People are on high alert. If they see anything, hear anything, if ICE is in the area, they’ll let us know.”
Universidad Popular, a civic organization in North County San Diego, sponsored the event, called the Posada Comunitaria, with a local church, Restoration Abbey. It’s the third time they’ve held the event in San Marcos, but this year the festivities took place against a backdrop of apprehension as immigration enforcement has ramped up under the Trump administration.
The procession, or posada, traditionally reenacts the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem before the birth of Christ. In San Marcos, residents and organizers filed through the neighborhood, where affordable housing complexes are home to many immigrant families.
The event places the advent story in a modern context, said Alex Aguas, a priest with Restoration Abbey, which assists asylum seekers.
“The practice of the Posada really invites people to think about ‘what does it mean to be rejected?’” he said. “Or ‘what does it mean to be on the margins and looking for sanctuary and shelter at this time?’ We also just get to have the opportunity to celebrate.”
On the Watch for Immigration Agents
As guests arrived and sipped cups of coffee and apple cider, security volunteers in hot pink vests huddled to discuss how to manage traffic control and watch for immigration agents.
The procession, or posada, traditionally reenacts the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem before the birth of Christ.
“All of our teams, all of our pink vests here, have been trained in immigration response,” said Arcela Nuñez, co-director of Universidad Popular, and Maria Nuñez’ sister. “We have people watching all points in this neighborhood.”
San Marcos, a city of 94,000 in North County San Diego, appears to account for just a few of the immigration arrests in the San Diego area. But government data suggests the numbers have ticked up this year, and organizers said they have seen more immigration activity recently.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested at least 38 people in San Marcos since September 2023, with 20 of those arrests between June and October of this year, according to federal data provided by ICE in response to a FOIA request, processed by the Deportation Data Project, and analyzed by CalMatters. CalMatters contacted ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the numbers, and has not heard back.
The escalating enforcement, and a change in policy that permits immigration enforcement at areas such as churches and schools that were previously off limits, has created a chilling effect on some community activities. Arcela Nuñez said her organization debated whether to hold the event this year in light of those concerns. They decided to go ahead, but to proceed with caution.
Organizers were particularly attuned to possible reports of ICE activity at the San Marcos Home Depot, less than a mile away, where other immigration raids have taken place this year. Home Depot stores where immigrant day laborers gather to seek work, have been a target for enforcement in Pomona, Los Angeles and Sacramento this year.
In October U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrested 22 people with criminal records at Home Depot locations in San Marcos and Encinitas, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Jason Givens said.
“If anything happens, look for experienced security,” Flower Alvarez-Lopez, co-director of Universidad Popular, told about two dozen volunteers gathered in a circle. “We will be able to help you.”
‘Many Said They Were Afraid to Come Out’
Volunteers distributed candles to participants, who lined up to march through the courtyard of a neighboring apartment building. Musicians strummed guitars as several hundred singers serenaded residents with songs such as “Noche de Paz” and “Letania para pedir posada,” which translates to a litany requesting lodging.
Their next stop was El Palenque Taco Shop around the corner on San Marcos Boulevard. Organizers waved flashlights to direct the marchers, and steered cars around the crowd in the parking lot, before leading the group a few doors down to La Michoacana Ice Cream.
Carolers made one more stop at an apartment complex before returning to the church, where families lined up for plates heaped with rice and beans, tamales, pizza slices and conchas, a Mexican sweet bread.
The San Marcos event proceeded without incident, but illustrates the tension that community leaders face trying to plan cultural celebrations while maintaining vigilance about potential immigration operations.
Ines Delgado, an immigration advocate with the North County LGBTQ Resource Center in neighboring Oceanside, volunteered at the posada, after hosting a celebration for International Migrants Day a day earlier, on Thursday evening. On Friday morning she said some clients showed up for a food distribution at the center, but confided that they had been too nervous to attend festivities the night before.
“Many said they were afraid to come out,” she said. “It might be the focus on immigration, but also being out at night.”
The Right to Be Silent
At the Universidad Popular offices in San Marcos, a sign on the door states “Notice: private property and establishment,” warning immigration agents or other law enforcement officers that a judicial warrant is required to enter non-public areas.
Inside, pink signs embellished with flowers remind clients of their rights to remain silent in the case of arrest, and to ask officers if they are being detained.
“A lot of our community partners are doing signage like this,” Arcela Nuñez said. “So if ICE were to show up, we don’t want them to come in and we want people to feel safe.”
Behind their office, the group wrapped up the night with a pair of industrial-strength, star-shaped pinatas. Dozens of children labored to smack them open and then scrambled to collect the candy after they burst.
Although the organization and church host the posada and other community festivals annually, this year’s neighborhood pilgrimage particularly highlighted the plight of “strangers seeking welcome,” Aguas said.
“Based on the changing political climate, that work takes on different meaning and resonance.”
Reporter Wendy Fry contributed to this story.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
