Across Santa Clara County, social workers are getting creative, and working overtime, to support immigrant families too scared to leave their homes. As ICE enforcement intensifies under Trump’s mass deportation campaign, an underground network of dedicated county employees and nonprofits has emerged to meet vulnerable clients in safe spaces, often during late-night hours or inside cars and private residences.

Ruby Lopez-Flores, a social worker at Rebekah Children’s Services, has noticed a dramatic shift in her work. Where she once met at-risk youth in public parks and offices, she now conducts sessions wherever clients feel secure enough to engage. “I do go extra lengths just to make sure they feel supported, they feel protected and they feel safe”, Lopez-Flores explained. “One week they might be feeling a bit safe to go to like a park. Other times, maybe they’re feeling more afraid, and I’ll offer having a session in their home or in their car”.

The fear is real and widespread. Immigrants across the Bay Area are avoiding grocery stores, churches, restaurants, and even hospitals, worried that any public appearance could result in detention. Some have chosen to self-deport entirely. This chilling effect intensified after a September 2025 Supreme Court decision that allowed ICE to conduct roving patrols and use racial profiling during arrests.

In response, groups like El Comité, an employee committee within Santa Clara County’s Social Services Agency, have stepped up with volunteer efforts. They’ve helped families access groceries, raised funds for documentation fees, and organized support groups. Cecilia De Haro, a social worker and El Comité co-chair, says the group gets creative when official funding dries up. “We are creative about how we can support when the department has no funds or the county has no funds to help the family achieve their needs”, she told us.

Lorenа Briones, another county social worker, now meets clients at night and on weekends. She’s adjusted her entire schedule around people’s ICE fears, sometimes conducting evening appointments to help families access basic services. One undocumented immigrant was able to renew her Medi-Cal benefits entirely over the phone and through electronic paperwork, a lifeline for someone managing epilepsy and other health conditions who couldn’t risk visiting county offices.

These efforts highlight both the compassion of local workers and a troubling reality: county employees are essentially operating an underground support network to fill gaps that should be addressed at the policy level. While Santa Clara County Executive James Williams says the region has committed more resources to immigrant communities than surrounding counties, social workers are asking for real institutional support, training, funding, and leadership focus, rather than relying on their own time and money.

As one social worker put it: “Although it is our jobs and our roles to provide these services with our clients and get creative, I just want to highlight that this isn’t normal”.