For Latinos in Oxnard, a summer of anger

Immigration enforcement raids have fueled distrust in the community and put officials on the defensive

- By Ruben Vives

MYUNG J. CHUN Los Angeles Times
ANA BANUELOS, top, waves a U.S.-Mexico flag during protests at the Glass

Latinos make up more than half of Oxnard’s 202,000 residents, and they have long taken pride in helping to build this sprawling city by the sea.

Constructed around the same agriculture fields where Cesar Chavez organized migrant laborers before establishing the United Farm Workers of America, Oxnard is a place where Latino influence is omnipresent — from music festivals to eateries.

At City Hall, officials have made it a priority to protect the area’s immigrant residents and workforce — whether that involves bolstering tenant rights against predatory landlords, or joining a civil rights lawsuit against indiscriminate raids.

House in Camarillo. Above, anti-ICE demonstrators gather at Oxnard City Hall.

But a summer of immigration sweeps has fueled distrust in the community, and put city officials on the defensive.

The Trump administration's crackdown has sparked street protests, as well as complaints that city officials need to be more proactive and forceful in the face of federal immigration enforcement.

"Tensions are high in the community right now and relations are being strained,” said Lucas Zucker, co-executive director of Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, the same group behind new tenant protections. "It takes a lot of work to build trust with the immigrant community and any law enforcement or government."

At a City Council meeting last month, speakers criticized police and city leaders for not doing enough to help the immigrant population. Some called for legal action.