El Cajon’s refugee community remains vibrant despite current immigration policy
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, MAY FIFTEENTH>>>> REFUGEES IN EL CAJON SHARE THEIR STRUGGLES LIVING IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ERAMore on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########
A HUGE CONGRATS GOES OUT TWENTY EIGHT SAN DIEGO COUNTY STUDENTS WHO ARE NOW 20-26 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
PATCH REPORTED THAT TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED STUDENTS WERE CHOSEN NATIONWIDE
TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS WILL BE AWARDED TO ALL NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
A COMMITTEE OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS LOOKED AT THE STUDENTS TEST SCORES, THEIR ACADEMIC RECORDS AND THEIR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AMONG OTHER THINGS
TWENTY ONE OF THE RECIPIENTS ARE FROM SAN DIEGO WITH OTHERS COMING FROM CARLSBAD, CHULA VISTA, DEL MAR, LA JOLLA, POWAY AND RANCHO SANTA FE
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THE CHULA VISTA POLICE DEPARTMENT IS SETTING UP A D-U-I CHECKPOINT TONIGHT
THE GOAL IS TO DISCOURAGE ANY AND ALL FORMS OF IMPAIRED DRIVING
THE CHECKPOINT WILL BE FROM 6 P-M TO MIDNIGHT AT AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION WITHIN THE CITY
POLICE CHOOSE CHECKPOINT LOCATIONS BASED ON WHERE IMPAIRED RELATED-CRASHES HAVE HAPPENED
THE C-V POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO REMIND ALL DRIVERS THAT IMPAIRED DRIVING ISN'T LIMITED TO JUST ALCOHOL BUT ALSO INCLUDES OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS, CERTAIN PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS AND MARIJUANA
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ALL COASTAL RAIL SERVICE FROM SAN DIEGO TO OCEANSIDE IS SUSPENDED THIS WEEKEND
THE NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT OFFICIALS SAY SERVICE WILL RESUME ON MONDAY
N-C-T-D SAYS THAT WEEKEND CLOSURES LIKE THIS ONE OCCUR PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND THAT NO PASSENGER OR FREIGHT TRAINS WILL BE OPERATING DURING THE CLOSURE
IT GIVES THEIR CREWS THE ABILITY TO WORK ALONG THE RAIL LINE SAFELY AND COMPLETE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S HARSH POLICIES AGAINST REFUGEES HAS LEFT A TANGIBLE IMPACT ON IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.
IN EL CAJON, REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS THE REFUGEE COMMUNITY REMAINS VIBRANT BUT VULNERABLE.
ECREFUGEE PT1 (4:57) SOC
Nestled in a small shopping center off of North 2nd Street in El Cajon, bright letters read Kabul Green Market. On a windy day, the Afghan flag waves customers in.
Onions and ginger are stacked up in the middle of store… Peanuts, cashews and other nuts line the right wall.
In the back, the smell of naan bread baking in the oven engulfs the kitchen.
The owner of the market says that smell was once a rarity in El Cajon.
SEDIQI SOT
“Seven-eight years ago there was not Afghan bread here.”
Wahid (Wah-yeed) Sediqi (Zeh-dee-key) moved to the U.S. about a decade ago. He recalls a time when the Afghan community barely registered in El Cajon’s business and cultural life. But his store has the ingredients many were missing.
SEDIQI SOT
“We bring nuts from Afghanistan. That's why the people, our customer looking for the specific items.”
Sediqi says those ingredients mean more to his community than simply completing a recipe. They are a tangible link to their homeland.
SEDIQI SOT
“People (are) thinking, we are going shopping in our own country.”
Homayoun (who-MAY-oon) Siddiq (Za-deek) and his family shop and eat in El Cajon. He says the cultural links in El Cajon go beyond individual countries.
SIDDIQ SOT
“When I meet a Chaldean or an Arab from El Cajon, we shake hands twice. First we say, ‘Hi, how are you?’ And then he says, ‘Hi, I'm Chaldean. I'm Arab. I’m from Iran…’ So, we shake hands again because it's to show how close we are.”
In the 1970s and 80s, Chaldeans (who are Christians mainly from Iraq) were the first to come to the city in significant numbers... As the Middle East became more and more war torn in the ensuing decades, the numbers of Middle Eastern asylum seekers steadily increased.
Tom Wong is a UCSD political science professor and founding director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center. He says as the communities built social networks, they laid the groundwork for more migration.
WONG SOT
“The role that social networks play is incredibly important. BUTT TO “The initial settlement builds upon itself, so that you have more and more co-ethnics migrating, which then creates larger and larger communities.”
But even though the communities have grown larger, many have felt more vulnerable than ever during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Among Trump’s first actions upon taking office was to enact a refugee ban that froze pending asylum applications. Then, at the beginning of the current fiscal year, the administration set a historically low refugee admissions cap.
Faridullah Ibrahimkhil (EE-bra-ham-hell) works at Arman Market and Cafe, on West Main Street. He was a journalist in Afghanistan in 2021 when the U.S. fully withdrew after 20 years of war. His life there became increasingly perilous as the Taliban re-took control of the country.
After years of working through the asylum system, Ibrahimkhil and his family were reunited in 2025. But they didn’t experience the welcome they had expected.
Ibrahimkhil spoke to KPBS through a translator.
IBRAHIMKHIL SOT
DARI FIRST “He said at first they were hearing lots of great things about America but now they're more scared of if ICE is gonna come and deport them.”
That fear takes a toll on the community. Dilkhwaz Ahmed is the founder of License to Freedom… a local organization that provides a range of services to refugees.
AHMED SOT
“We see a lot of people seeking services. They want to talk. They want a space. They want to be free to talk to somebody without being punished, or challenges or being threatened of deportation.”
Ahmed says it’s been jarring to see the shift in rhetoric against the refugee community. It’s a different time than when she immigrated to the U.S. in 2001.
AHMED SOT
“I remember I came five days after September 11th, I was in this country.” BUTT TO “I was treated with respect, and love, and kindness, even during that difficult time.” BUTT TO “But now, I don't know what happened. I hope things will change.”
Back at the Kabul Green Market, Sediqi says his connection to the community remains strong despite the current environment.
SEDIQI SOT
“Every day coming to the store, talking with the people. I'm I'm happy. I'm feeling happy with my this store.”
BUTT TO
SEDIQI SOT
“The city look(s) like their countries, that's why the people move here.”
He’s hoping that the smell of his freshly backed naan wafts through his store for years to come.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
ANCHOR TAG: ON MONDAY, WE’LL LOOK AT HOW ONE ORGANIZATION SERVES THE REFUGEE COMMUNITY.
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A SAN DIEGO LAWMAKER SAYS MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN SHOULD STOP WITHOUT A DECLARATION OF WAR FROM CONGRESS.
MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS A BILL TO DO JUST THAT WAS INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE YESTERDAY (THURSDAY).
WARPOWERS 1 (ad) SOQ :56
It’ll be the third House war powers resolution since the start of the war in February.
The first two failed.
But San Diego Democrat Sara Jacobs says this time things might be different.
That’s because a 1973 law requires the President to stop military action after 60 days without authorization from Congress.
And while the administration claims last month’s cease-fire stopped that clock, Jacobs says that deadline might sway enough Republicans to pass this bill.
SJ: “We have yet to vote on a War Powers resolution after the 60 day clock has run out. And I think, you know, whether my Republican colleagues will actually do publicly what they've told us privately. They have said that that, you know, changes the calculation for them.”
The resolution is the first in a series planned by Jacobs and other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
They plan to introduce a resolution every week so there’s always one that’s active and ready for a vote.
Jacobs expects the first vote early next month.
Andrew Dyer, KPBS News
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IN THE CROWDED FIELD OF MOSTLY DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES VYING TO BE CALIFORNIA’S NEXT GOVERNOR, ONE REPUBLICAN HAS HAD SURPRISING STAYING POWER.
THAT’S RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO. HE’S RECENTLY BEEN IN NATIONAL HEADLINES FOR SEIZING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BALLOTS…AMONG OTHER CONTROVERSIES.
AS K-V-C-R’S MADISON AUMENT REPORTS, BIANCO HAS BUILT HIS PROFILE ON BASHING THE STATE’S DEMOCRATS AND GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM
BIANCO 1 (kvcr) (3:43) SOQ: “ the November primary.”
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"Chad Bianco meanders through rows of classic cars at a museum in Corona.
It’s a campaign fundraiser.
“The smell of an antique automobile … uh, it makes you feel good”
Bianco looks like an old west sheriff…
He wears a big black cowboy hat, black cowboy boots, and has a thick salt-and-pepper walrus mustache.
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Bianco says the classic cars remind him of a better time.. And his nostalgia also informs his goals… if he’s elected governor
“I want government out of the way of growth in California so we can once again finally prosper, bring our cost of living down, build more houses so we can actually have a place to live that are affordable. It's it's going to be like California… will be more prosperous than at any time in its history, and I will liken it to the Gold Rush years.”
Bianco blames Democrats for ruining the state he says he fell in love with as a kid visiting from Utah.
“Our businesses are leaving. Our workers are leaving. Our kids can't afford to live here.
There's nothing good coming from the current Democrat Party.”
Bianco bashes Democrats in Sacramento every chance he gets. He also plays up his law enforcement background. He was a sheriff’s deputy for 3 decades before he became Riverside County sheriff in 2018. Since then, he’s leaned into his cantankerous MAGA persona.
During COVID, he refused to obey Governor Newsom’s lockdown.
“They couldn’t control me. They couldn't shut my county down.”
A few years later, when deaths in his jails hit a record high, he told parents whose children had died that he was not to blame.
“They want to blame me instead of their child for being in jail, instead of their child for overdosing on drugs while they were in jail, they want to blame me.”
Most recently, he defended his seizure of 600-thousand ballots from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters based on a tip from a citizens group that alleged election fraud. Election officials have said it’s baseless but Bianco says he must investigate crime..
“I think he's the only one that can save the state.”
Julie Pizzatola <> lives in Riverside County and was at a recent rally for Bianco.
She echoes many of his supporters “I can barely afford my mortgage. I can barely afford gas. So, anything that we can do to lower taxes is what I'm supporting. And I think the being tough on crime is great.”
Bianco says one of his top priorities as governor would be to kill the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
He’d also get rid of the Coastal Commission and the California Air Resources Board…
Those are some of the state’s bedrock environmental protections.
BIANCO:
“Those are the issues that cause our cost of living to go up.”
He also wants to cut state income tax, which he says he’ll do, in part, by upping oil production to fund the government. Eric Schickler is with the Institute of Governmental Studies at U-C Berkeley.
He says that doesn’t seem realistic. Schickler also says Bianco would have a hard time undoing the environmental protections.There's just, there's no way that that happens without passing legislation, and there's no way that legislation would pass with a Democratic legislature.
Bianco has one Republican opponent…Steve Hilton… who’s a former Fox News commentator.
He’s consistently polled in the top two…and he got President Donald Trump’s endorsement
Bianco has trailed behind…but is still in the top five.
Thad Kousser…who teaches political science at University of California San Diego…says Bianco has mostly evaded attack as the Democratic candidates fight between themselves. But he says like Trump’s surprising win in 2016, we should pay attention…I think Bianco's chances are much more are much slimmer than that, but this is still a remarkably wide open race,
The top two vote-getters this June will advance to the November primary.”
TAG: THAT WAS K-V-C-R’S MADISON AUMENT REPORTING.
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THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO BROKE GROUND YESTERDAY ON A NEW OAK PARK LIBRARY.
REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN SAYS PLANS FOR THE LIBRARY BEGAN A DECADE AGO.
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NEWLIBRARY 1(an) trt: 0:50 soq
Nats “TWO, ONE … YAY! Applause”
Community members and city officials gathered at the site of an old water treatment facility near Chollas Lake for the groundbreaking Thursday.
It’s where the new library will be built.
The existing library is more than 50 years old. Community members said it is well-loved but outdated.
Councilmember Henry Foster III represents the neighborhood. He says this was a community-led project.
“They were there lock and step every step of the way. And so my heart is full. I am I am so excited, so happy for the community and just happy for our youth.”
The new library is nearly four times the size of the existing one. The two-story building will have room for new programs and services … including an innovation and technology lab for STEAM projects.
The city estimates construction will cost more than $37 million, with most of the funds coming from a state grant.
AN/KPBS
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AS WE DO FOR YOU EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY, HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND EVENTS THAT YOU AND YOURS COULD CHECK OUT
IF YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT OR JUST FEEL MORE AT PEACE IN NATURE, SAN DIEGO RIVER DAYS MIGHT BE FOR YOU
ON FRIDAY YOU CAN HELP WITH A CLEANUP PROJECT OR SUNSET GARDENING IN O-B … ON SATURDAY THERE'S A GROUP BIKE RIDE AND MORE…ON SUNDAY, THERE'S A NIGHT HIKE AND SOME EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
MEANWHILE, SATURDAY IS FOR COSPLAYERS AND ANIME-LOVERS ALIKE
THERE'S AN ANIME CONVENTION HAPPENING IN ESCONDIDO FROM 10 A-M UNTIL 6 P-M
THE EVENT FEATURES PANELS, POP CULTURE ACTIVITIES AND OF COURSE VENDORS SELLING MERCH
AND ON SUNDAY THERE IS THE 12TH ANNUAL HELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL CENTER PUPPY PROM
THREE "BEST DRESSED" CATEGORIES ARE UP FOR GRABS AND IT TAKES PLACE AT MCGREGOR'S BAR AND GRILL IN MISSION VALLEY FROM 11 A-M UNTIL 1 P-M
WHATEVER YOU DO DECIDE TO DO THIS WEEKEND, HAVE FUN!
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth and hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K. Jackson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
