Yudy lives a typical San Francisco life: walking her dog in Bernal Heights, shopping at the Alemany Farmers Market, trying new restaurants in Chinatown.
But unlike many Chinese immigrants, Yudy can’t work legally, can’t apply to schools that require documentation, and can’t travel back to Hong Kong with the ability to return.
After living in San Francisco for 20 years as an undocumented immigrant, Yudy, who is in her late 30s, feels compelled to speak up about the plight of Chinese undocumented residents under President Donald Trump’s tightening immigration policies. She wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns and deportation risks.
Chinese immigrants, one of the largest ethnic cohorts in San Francisco’s undocumented population, rarely speak openly about their situation, fearing deportation or reprisals in their home country. With Trump’s return to the White House, some are choosing to make themselves even less visible or considering plans to start over again in other countries, such as Canada, where they might face lower risk of being sent back to China.
“I feel like I belong here,” Yudy told The Standard in Chinese. “I don’t want to be forced to leave suddenly.”
10,000 Chinese
Yudy easily blends in among San Francisco’s large Chinese community. She arrived from Hong Kong in 2004 on a tourist visa, seeking relief from the intense academic pressure of high school. She was drawn to the United States’ diverse educational opportunities, particularly its community college and state university system.
Though her family members in San Francisco are U.S. citizens, Yudy became undocumented after her visa expired. She narrowly missed qualifying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals “Dreamer” program, as she was a few months too old when she entered the U.S. Now, there are few ways for her to obtain legal status, such as seeking asylum or marrying a U.S. citizen.
For years, she worked at a jewelry store, a job that paid in cash. “I had no choice,” Yudy said. Now she works at a senior center and is enrolled in a nursing program.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, San Francisco’s “unauthorized population” was approximately 43,000 in 2019, the latest data available. Those born in China represented the largest share of that group: approximately 10,000 individuals. Mexico and El Salvador were the second and third most common countries of origin.
“Especially Chinese people, they fear their immigration status being revealed,” Yudy said. “But we need to speak up. The more people who speak up, the more others will resonate with similar stories.”
Jose Ng, a San Francisco immigrant rights commissioner and immigrant affairs advocate at the civil rights organization Chinese for Affirmative Action, believes the current numbers are much higher than they were in 2019, given increasing Chinese migration.
“There are many undocumented Asian and Chinese immigrants living in our communities,” Ng said in Chinese. “The situation has become tense, and many people have been worried since Trump took office.”
Chinese nationals are the fastest-growing group of all migrants entering the U.S., but just a small portion of them come to the Bay Area. Ng visited the southern border twice last year and found that the majority of Chinese migrants prefer New York City, which offers more job opportunities across multiple Chinatowns.
Joe, a Chinese national in his 30s, flew to Japan and then Mexico last year before crossing the border without a visa into San Diego. He wished to remain anonymous.
“The ideological control within China is indeed becoming increasingly strict,” Joe said of the reason he left. “Given some past bad experiences during the pandemic lockdown and the direction of future political trends, I feel quite pessimistic.”
Joe has been granted a work permit and is seeking asylum, but the process will likely take years.
After briefly staying at a hostel in the Union Square area, he moved to the East Bay and rented a place to live. Contrary to the perception that undocumented migrants are impoverished, Joe said he was a successful corporate executive in China. Though he holds a degree from a prestigious Chinese university, he has worked in the Bay Area as a fiber technician.
Although he’s fearful of the new administration, Joe wants to push back on negative stereotypes of undocumented immigrants. Last year, Trump suggested that Chinese immigrant men were building an “army” in the U.S., a claim that was repeated in conservative media.
“Most people like us are seeking freedom by coming to America,” Joe said in Chinese. “These people are hardworking and kindhearted.”
Invisible community
Hans How, a Chinese Malaysian immigrant advocate, said many Asian migrants fear retaliation against themselves or family members in their home countries. How, 31, came to the U.S. as a student and sought asylum due to his sexual orientation; his home country, Malaysia, has harsh laws against LGBTQ people.
Now a green card holder after a five-year wait, How said asylum seekers who come from countries with oppressive regimes — those that crack down on citizens based on political persuasion, sexual orientation, or other factors — choose to migrate to places where they can be safe. Exposure could lead to safety risks, he said.
“When you are applying for asylum, there is no guarantee that your claim will be successful,” How said. “If you had to go back to your home country, there are real safety concerns. Asylum seekers often have family members who are still living back home.”
How dismissed Trump’s “lie” about Chinese immigrant men, noting that such rhetoric stokes fears about anyone who fits that profile.
San Francisco has been a sanctuary city since 1989, and the Board of Supervisors recently reaffirmed that status. City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement that immigration enforcement is not the responsibility of local government and urged residents not to fear interacting with local law enforcement or city agencies.
Chiu asserted that while the city complies with federal law, he “will stand up for our laws, and stand with the community.”
Still, Trump has led many immigrants in San Francisco to reconsider their plans and even prepare for the worst: leaving the country.
“After 20 years here, I need to plan my future, find a place to work, buy a house,” Yudy said, though stressing that she wants to stay with her family in the U.S. “Without status, you can’t even buy insurance.”
As she finishes nursing school, Yudy is thinking about moving to Canada, where she thinks she may be welcomed as an immigrant qualified to work in healthcare.
Joe, who came here just a year ago, once had ambitious plans. For now, he has to remain invisible.
He once dreamed of opening a small business and building an outstanding career in the U.S. that might qualify him for legal status. Now, he prefers to keep his head down.
“I am pausing my business plans now. I am afraid there may be big changes,” he said. “Let’s quietly wait and see first.”