“It’s scary knowing how my family members could be taken away at any minute simply due to their looks.”
This is the harsh reality that many immigrant families across the country now face. Since President Donald Trump’s first day of his second term in office, he has issued ten executive orders to change United States immigration policies and has pledged to deport millions of immigrants back to their home countries, according to the American Immigration Council.
Among the series of new policies signed by Trump, one in particular now targets the “sensitive locations” across the country: on Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Trump administration announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Services (ICE) could arrest at schools, places of worship, and hospitals — revoking a policy that had been in effect since 2011. San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) Superintendent Randall Booker expressed a need to address the new executive order, which came in the form of an email sent to the entire district on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
“We needed to address the issue, talk about what our stance is, what our beliefs are, what our purpose is as an educational institution, and what our practices and policies are at this point,” Booker said.
As communities experience increased fear and concern, Spanish teacher Sophie Abitbol addresses safety concerns that students and parents are now forced to face at schools.
“Going to school is supposed to be a safe space,” Abitbol said. “Saying goodbye to your parents in the morning, wondering if there’s going to be an ICE raid on your school, or being a parent and wondering if you’re going to see your kids at night because you’re worried about deportation, this is unconscionable.”
In support of immigrant families in SMUHSD, the district has provided online toolkits with resources and support, worked with family engagement coordinators and social workers to answer questions, and provided district and site administrators with procedures and protocols in cases when law enforcement shows up on campus, according to Booker.
But even with the extra support and resources available, many families are taking necessary measures to feel safer as recent reports of ICE activity in nearby cities including San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento increase. In the case of a Burlingame student who wished to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, the overwhelming risk of being separated from their family has dictated many of their decisions, even if it means leaving the country.
“We’re living in fear right now,” an anonymous student source said. “My aunts and uncles have already given my mom all their personal information so we can take in my cousins if something were to happen, and I know if something happens to my dad, we’ll have to move to Mexico and restart our lives there because right now, it’s too scary here.”
Not only may Trump’s presidency pose an additional risk to student safety on school campuses, but students who complete federal financial aid applications like the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) may risk exposing their undocumented parents by providing personal information such as social security numbers and other data. According to the National College Attainment Network, it is no longer assured that data submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by mixed-status families “will continue to be protected.” With 3.3 million Californians living in mixed-status households, College and Career Advisor Jonathan Dhyne highlights the importance of students communicating with families to make decisions with the varying protections available.
“These are discussions to have with your family and see what your family is comfortable sharing,” College and Career Advisor Jonathan Dhyne said. “There are different avenues when applying for aid, so students who are citizens or permanent residents can file a FAFSA while students who want to stay in-state can file a CADAA, even if you are in a mixed-status family.”
As national mass demonstrations and immigrant strikes skyrocket in response to Trump’s hostile immigrant policies, Booker also notes “a significant decline” in student attendance across SMUHSD, particularly on Monday, Feb. 3 when a nationwide “Day Without Immigrants” took place to highlight the contributions that immigrants have made on the American economy and community.
With heightened stress from the community, the San Mateo County Office of Community Affairs has partnered with local community partners such as libraries, nonprofits, and schools to hold “Know Your Rights” workshops, a space where individuals can gain information on their rights and what resources are available across the county, regardless of immigration status.
With presentations from legal service providers, information on the San Mateo County Rapid Response Hotline which serves as an emergency hotline for immigration-related affairs, and providing “red cards” — a card detailing constitutional rights developed by the Immigration Legal Resource Center — San Mateo County Immigrant Services Coordinator Sarah Dewitt-Feldman emphasizes the importance of providing accurate, reliable information to the community during a time of instability that often leads to misinformation among individuals.
“We really want to empower folks with accurate information and connections to resources so that people know they aren’t feeling all this fear alone,” Dewitt-Feldman said. “We recognize that there are still people who may be uncomfortable attending our workshops, so we do our best to ensure that the spaces we use are safe and familiar. We really are just trying to be transparent here with everyone who could benefit from all this information we’re providing.”
As the nation continues to witness the constantly changing policies issued by the government, Abitbol, who was an undocumented immigrant herself for seven years, reflects on her own lived experiences as she witnesses the same, large impact these policies will have on the community around her that had once affected her deeply.
“My experience was so much less [scary] than what these people are going through today,” Abitbol said. “It makes me worried that our students aren’t going to come to school anymore because they’re too afraid to, and it makes me worry that our society elected someone who has such a lack of empathy. The reason why immigrants come to this country, in most cases, is simply to have a better life. It’s not to be criminals.”
