Every morning, Marcelo, 60, waits on a San Francisco sidewalk, looking for work. The Guatemalan day laborer, who has lived in the city for seven years, says he takes any gig he’s offered, from painting to construction. But since Trump got elected, he said, the number of work opportunities for immigrants like him has dwindled. The fear of not being able to afford rent — and of being deported without due process — feels more pressing than ever.
“As an undocumented person, you can’t really do anything, say anything,” Marcelo said. “At any moment they could come for me, you know? They could accuse me of something that I didn’t do.”
In the first 100 days of his second term, the Trump administration has moved quickly to reshape U.S. immigration policy: fast-tracking deportations, cutting legal protections, and striking deals with federal agencies to help identify undocumented people.
The uncertainty immigrant communities face was among the many causes that brought thousands to the streets across San Francisco this May Day, with workers from different industries rallying together to defend their rights — and each other.
“Things got better for a long time. We had a lot of rights, we had a lot of help. And it’s heartbreaking to see what’s happening now,” said Juanita Contreras, 70, a former union organizer who attended the morning rally in the Mission District. “It’s gonna be hard to build it up again. It’ll take time.”
For Bertha, a domestic worker who has been in San Francisco for 34 years, rebuilding starts with standing up for her rights. She’s in the process of sorting out her legal status, she said, but despite her fears, it was important to attend May Day events.
“We want people to know that they shouldn’t be scared, that we can push forward if we support each other,” said the Mujeres Unidas y Activas member. “It’s important to be here and show that we’re united.”
Around San Francisco, many immigrants said that what they feared the most was a lack of due process.
“Many people go out to the street scared that they might be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and face deportation because they’re looking for another person,” said Saúl J., a longtime welder. He said he’s been closely following the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a longtime U.S. resident who was deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador due to an administrative error.
To Henry, a Mexican food vendor who sells chips and shaved ice, San Francisco’s sanctuary city ordinance has offered only momentary relief.
“It’s worrying, but so far, nothing has happened here,” said Henry, who moved to the city four months ago from Los Angeles following a crackdown on street vendors. “But at the same time, it doesn’t really matter, right? Whether we’re working or not, something can happen at any moment.”
At the May Day rally in the Civic Center that evening, where hundreds of people marched to ICE headquarters, many local unions and grassroots organizations spoke in support of immigrant workers. Kim Evon, executive vice president at SEIU Local 2015, said many of the more than half a million people her union represents are first- and second-generation immigrants working as long-term caregivers.
To support them, Evon said the union has hosted hundreds of presentations in recent months to educate workers about their legal rights.
Still, some worry these campaigns may not be enough.
“Sometimes I wonder what I would do if I got detained,” said José Robles, 74, a retired janitor. “I’ve heard they’ve picked up people with documents. Thankfully I became a citizen, but what would that matter if they just picked me up without asking anything? Just because I looked Latino.”
