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Farmworker absences prompt public pleas for county outreach; sheriff urges calm and pledges engagement
Summary
Public commenters described farmworkers and families staying away from fields and schools over immigration-related fears; Sheriff Pat Withrow said law enforcement will protect residents and pursue violent criminals while offering outreach to community groups and farmers.
Multiple speakers during the public-comment period told the board that farmworkers across the county have stayed away from fields, schools and workplaces, and they asked county officials to visit farm sites and help calm residents.
Speaker Armando Rodriguez and a translator described a spike in people not showing up for work and said families were frightened and withholding children from school. Rodriguez said organizers had been distributing informational “constitutional rights” cards but lacked printing resources and broader outreach. He asked county officials to go to fields and communities to see conditions firsthand.
“People is not going to shopping. People are refused to taking their children to the schools… People are refusing to go to drive to work Bay Area, local, and farms,” a translated portion of the comments said.
Sheriff Pat Withrow responded during public comment to acknowledge community fears and said the sheriff’s office is “going to handle this situation” while balancing enforcement and compassion. He said immigration enforcement is a federal function and the sheriff’s office will focus on local public safety and victims of crime.
“We will be here to protect our citizens… we will deal with the crimes that are occurred and we’ll leave the immigration stuff… to the Federal Government,” Withrow said, and added he plans to meet with farm-bureau representatives, churches, nonprofits and community groups to explain how local law enforcement will respond.
Withrow said his office will offer community meetings and urged residents to call local law enforcement if they are being victimized, warning of bad actors impersonating federal officers. Supervisor Steve Ding said he had talked to farmers and labor contractors and relayed reports that, in some cases, contractors were seeking more workers and that the situation was complex.
Board members agreed to follow up through outreach: the sheriff said he would meet with farm-bureau leaders and other stakeholders, and supervisors urged additional communication to affected communities and schools.
