by Marvin Ramírez
Much has been said about mass deportations under the Trump administration, and the fear they generate continues to ripple through immigrant communities like mine in San Francisco’s Mission District. Streets once bustling with workers and shoppers now carry an edge of anxiety. Many of the small and mid-sized businesses that anchor this neighborhood rely on undocumented labor. It’s no secret. And sometimes I think: if a mass deportation effort were truly imminent, wouldn’t the Mission be one of the first places targeted? But so far, we haven’t seen mass arrests.
That doesn’t mean people aren’t afraid. Especially those who arrived under humanitarian parole. Every knock on the door or police presence in the area can feel like a threat. Yet amid the rumors and raids, a glimmer of something different has emerged: a surprising shift in tone from President Trump himself.
At an April 10 Cabinet meeting, Trump floated an idea that seemed to contradict his hardline immigration stance. He suggested that undocumented workers—particularly those in farming and hotel jobs—could be allowed to leave the U.S. voluntarily and return legally, provided their employers vouch for them. “A farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people, saying they’re great, they’re working hard… they’re going to come back as legal workers,” he said.
It’s unclear what “go out in a nice way” or “slow it down a little bit” means in practice. But the comments echo something immigrant advocates have pushed for years: a path to legal status for the people already here, already working, already contributing.
There’s precedent for this. The U.S. already has two visa programs—the H-2A for agricultural workers and the H-2B for seasonal non-agricultural jobs in industries like hospitality. These are imperfect programs, often criticized for being cumbersome and for failing to protect workers. But they’re legal pathways. And Trump, whose businesses have used the H-2B program, now seems to be considering expanding or modifying them as part of his immigration strategy.
This shift in tone may be aimed at appeasing economic stakeholders. The agricultural sector depends heavily on undocumented workers—about 40 percent of U.S. crop farmworkers are undocumented, according to the Agriculture Department. And in 2023, over 1.1 million undocumented people worked in hospitality—nearly 8 percent of that industry’s workforce. It’s hard to deport that kind of labor force without severe economic consequences.
Yet the offer feels conditional. Trump made it clear that those who don’t “go out” under his terms could face permanent exclusion. A 60-day window was mentioned, though it’s not clear when that clock would start ticking. And it’s equally uncertain how many employers would risk drawing attention to undocumented staff by vouching for them—especially in an atmosphere still charged with enforcement.
Here in the Mission, there’s no shortage of hardworking people who would gladly pursue legal status if given the chance. Many have been in the U.S. for decades. They’ve raised children, paid taxes, and supported local economies—often while enduring wage theft, poor housing, and the constant fear of being torn from their families. If “longtime” undocumented residents are to be included in this new idea, it would be a monumental shift. But that remains a big “if.”
Despite the vague promises, this development marks an opening. And for those of us living side by side with undocumented neighbors, co-workers, and family, it’s an opening worth watching. It’s not legalization yet. It’s not even a formal policy. But it’s a conversation that shifts the narrative—from “deport them all” to “some people deserve a path.”
Many immigrant advocates remain skeptical. After all, this administration has consistently emphasized border enforcement and deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently supported a policy requiring undocumented people to register with DHS or face criminal charges—a policy that just got the green light from a federal judge.
But when the president who once promised “the largest deportation effort in history” begins to entertain the idea of welcoming back “great” undocumented workers as legal ones, something is shifting. Whether that shift becomes a doorway to opportunity or a trap cloaked in false hope will depend on how the details unfold.
For now, many in the Mission are holding their breath—caught between fear and fragile hope.
NBC News’s Suzanne Gamboa reports contributed to this article.
