This article assumes the reader is familiar with the topics, organizations and terms referenced in the previous installment of its series. Click this link to familiarize yourself.

One Step A La Vez, a youth center in Fillmore, Calif., hosted a Family Preparedness Plan information event on Nov. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. While the event was not empty, the turnout was significantly reduced by the news of an ICE raid in the area only hours before. Deputies from the Fillmore Police Department also attended the event, offering a child ID service. 

“I know Fillmore hasn’t had a lot of events happening, but I’m very happy to be able to have these services available for people,” an anonymous organizer of the event said.

A presentation was given in Spanish to attendees, explaining their legal rights and what to do in the case of an ICE raid, as well as how to fill out the Family Preparedness Plans and why they are important.

One anonymous attendee said they believed the most important aspect of the event was the information gained from the presentation.

“Knowledge is one of the best resources we can have,” this anonymous person said, “There’s a lot of people that don’t even know that they [don’t have to] open the door to ICE. I was one of those people, I didn’t know, and unfortunately, it happened to me.”

This particular attendee elaborated, saying, “I know how it feels to lose somebody, and have them be deported, and not know what to do with my kids. I’m lucky that I’m a U.S. citizen, but that person was my husband.”

However, this essential knowledge was not widely spread that night. A surprisingly small turnout was believed to be caused by the ICE raid in Fillmore less than 24 hours earlier.

“Having ICE activity in the community has dampened people’s confidence to come here. But hopefully they know One Step A La Vez; we’re in a church; it’s in the neighborhood; hopefully people feel safer, but it’s very hard,” Vanessa Frank, a leader of Youth Right to Rise and an attorney who assisted participants in filling out their forms, said.

This fear is not specific to this event. The constant threat of a federal crackdown has caused many immigrant communities, such as the one in Fillmore, to become less active.

“You see the fear of people not wanting to go out, and not spending quality time in the park or going to the store because they’re scared,” an anonymous attendee said.

Kell Kingsmith ‘26, a member of Youth Right to Rise and a student at Ventura High School who helped fill out the forms with Frank, said that the hardest part of advocating for and assisting the immigrant community is the fear factor. “A lot of people have fear right now of coming to these events and these spaces where there are providers,” she said.

The Camarillo Sheriff’s Department offered a service alongside the forms known as Kid Print. This is a child ID that contains the child’s name, picture, fingerprint and other information found on a regular driver’s license.

All in all, the event was successful in communicating its vital message, even if not everybody was there to hear it. 

“Doing community events like this helps folks feel like they’re not alone: there are people going through a similar experience, there are people here to help,” Frank said.