Woman finds support from Valley Watch Network after her husband is detained by ICE and threatened with deportation
On Feb. 19, a man emerged from a white minivan, knocked on Elizabeth and Delfino Alfredo Naranjo García’s car window and—without producing any identification or documentation—informed them that Delfino was under arrest because he was wanted by the law in his native country of Mexico.
The Patterson couple was confused. Delfino, who has lived in the U.S. for nine years, told the man that he had never committed a crime in Mexico. It was only after Elizabeth pressed the man that he acknowledged he was a federal immigration enforcement officer, and that Delfino was being taken into custody, apparently because of his immigration status.
That was just one month after the second inauguration of Donald Trump, who declared an “invasion” of “aliens” and whose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had begun conducting raids and mass deportations.
“There is not much I can do or that he can do. There are moments I break down. My kids are so attached to my husband. They are really worried about Dad. The first month was the toughest of our lives.”
Elizabeth Naranjo García, Wife of ICE Detainee
Stunned and frightened, one of Elizabeth’s first calls after her husband’s arrest was to Faith in the Valley’s (FIV) Valley Watch Network.
The grassroots Central Valley organization supports immigrants and communities across the region by teaching them about their rights and how to advocate for themselves and their communities. The Valley Watch Network is a rapid response system of volunteers, including hotline dispatchers, legal observers and connections to other support.
Griselda Rojas is an organizer with FIV based in Stanislaus County. She immigrated to California with her parents at age 6. Her parents worked in peach and almond orchards, and she was the first in her family to graduate from college.
Since joining FIV last year, Rojas has been building community relationships and holding workshops at area schools and businesses to offer guidance concerning ICE encounters. Some common tips: Never run or get agitated; make sure the officer has a warrant signed by a district court judge within the past 14 days; and provide only your name and date of birth.
Rojas picked up Elizabeth’s call for help.
“She told me what happened to her husband, and through our network she was connected to an attorney,” Rojas says. “We also connected her with organizations in Patterson and Modesto for some mutual aid—financial assistance, food vouchers, diapers and wipes.”
Delfino had been taken to the Golden State Annex, an immigrant detention center in McFarland, north of Bakersfield, where he remains. Elizabeth is waiting to learn if her husband is eligible for bond.
“There is not much I can do or that he can do,” says Elizabeth, who is in the U.S. on a non-immigrant U visa, which is granted for victims of certain crimes. “There are moments I break down. My kids [ages 6, 4 and 11 months] are so attached to my husband. They are really worried about Dad. The first month was the toughest of our lives.”
For now, she is trying to hold it together, commuting to her full-time job as a medical assistant in Oakland, visiting her husband with their children on weekends, looking for a second job and, with FIV’s support, focused on keeping her children fed, healthy and hopeful for a better future.
If you know someone who was detained or needs assistance, call the Valley Watch Network at (559) 206-0151. For more information on Faith in the Valley and how you can get involved, visit faithinthevalley.org.
