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Last week, federal agents arrived in the East Bay for what was expected to be a major immigration and law enforcement operation. Then President Trump called it off—for now. But the impact on Oakland students, families, businesses, and protestors was stark.

In this episode, we walk you through everything that happened that Wednesday and Thursday, from Coast Guard Island to Fruitvale Village to Oakland schools with large immigrant populations. You’ll get a sense of where things stand now. And you’ll understand what we should all take away from this experience.

Plus, reporting on developments in Oakland’s ongoing debates over police oversight, some good news about enrollment in Oakland schools, and a longtime Lakeshore institution that’s closing its doors.

Links to Oaklandside stories we cover in this episode:

On Thursday, Fruitvale was empty 

With threats of a federal ‘surge,’ absences spiked among Oakland’s immigrant students 

A federal agent shot a pastor in the face with a chemical weapon. What can California do about it?

Oakland mayor, sheriff say CBP ‘surge’ operation canceled for East Bay

The East Bay ‘resistance’: A guide to local activism

Enrollment is up in OUSD for the first time in 8 years. Can it be sustained? 

After OPD chief’s resignation, Oakland City Council deals a blow to police oversight

Oakland to lose a longtime Lakeshore institution

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

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Tasneem Raja headshot

Tasneem Raja is the Editor-in-Chief of The Oaklandside. A pioneer in data journalism and local nonprofit news startups, she co-founded The Tyler Loop, a nationally recognized community news platform in East Texas. She was a senior editor at NPR’s Code Switch and at Mother Jones, where the team she led helped build the first-ever database of mass shootings in America. She started her career as features reporter at The Chicago Reader and The Philadelphia Weekly, and lives in Oakland with her husband and daughter.


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