In response to President Donald Trump’s policies towards immigration and student protests for Palestine, UCI’s undocumented students are publicly protesting and strengthening their network of self-support.
National policy changes have granted a broader license for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out raids in what were previously considered “sensitive areas,” such as schools, hospitals and places of worship. A current California sanctuary law does not allow UC campus police to cooperate with ICE in investigating, arresting or detaining potentially undocumented students, but such laws are being targeted by the current administration.
During Trump’s first presidency, F.M.C. — an undocumented fourth-year educational sciences student who asked to be identified with her initials — recalls feeling, “very aware” of being undocumented. Trump’s return to office once again evoked feelings of sudden fear and paranoia. But now in her early 20s, F.M.C. said that she felt more supported by a community she can relate to.
F.M.C. came to the U.S. with her mother when she was five years old to escape widespread gang violence in El Salvador and to reunite with her father, who had been working in the U.S. for two years. Up until her senior year of high school, she recalled thinking that she was the only undocumented person she knew of and felt compelled to keep quiet about her immigration status. It wasn’t until she came in contact with UCI’s Dream Center and Students Advocating For Immigrant Rights and Equity (SAFIRE) that she met others who shared the experience of being undocumented.
“[SAFIRE] really gave me a second home and [were] like a chosen family,” she told New University. “They’ve been really great at getting me more involved and I think also really challenged me to use my voice.”
According to F.M.C., relating to other young undocumented individuals is central to building a community, but it is something prior generations of undocumented immigrants could not experience out of fear of being found out. She told New University about her family warning her against being open with her experience.
“It’s kind of that sentiment of like ‘don’t tell anyone and you won’t get in trouble,’ and I feel like with this new generation, I feel like a lot of first-generation students who want to get involved with the best intentions usually have never met other undocumented college students or undocumented people their age,” she said. “Usually they reference only their parents’ experience of living in fear so there’s that disconnect.”
As a response to the increased number of ICE raids and mass deportations across the country, protests have been held in Orange County and nationwide. At UCI, students have mobilized in the form of Know Your Rights presentations and workshops hosted by student-led organizations. On Feb. 24, SAFIRE led a march around Ring Road to protest UC and national policies regarding undocumented students and to call for unity among them. Many of the participants were undocumented students.
Despite these efforts by students who are at risk, many have noticed a common misperception that undocumented individuals are unable to advocate for their own community. New University spoke with board members of UCI’s chapter of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan (MEChA), which has partnered with SAFIRE to host events supporting undocumented students.
“I think it’s been great to see all the support that undocumented peoples have gained and all the momentum that’s been built,” fourth-year informatics student and MEChA treasurer Christopher Tapia told New University. “But I think a consequence of that, you know, intentionally or unintentionally, has been instead of spotlighting undocumented voices, it kind of takes away from them.”
As a student whose family is undocumented, Trump’s mass deportation initiatives worry Tapia. However, he still believes that “undocumented people can and will speak for themselves, and will continue to do so for however long these policies are in place.”
The first time F.M.C. participated in advocacy for undocumented students was when she joined the Opportunity for All Campaign as part of SAFIRE. The movement, led by the Undocumented Student-Led Network, pushed to expand employment opportunities for undocumented students on UC campuses. F.M.C. describes being part of the movement as “a surreal experience” that introduced her to undocumented students from different backgrounds — from those who had families of farm workers to those who grew up in urban and white-majority cities.
“That was just a really cool opportunity and I felt like that’s where I also felt really empowered because I think I was surrounded by students who really understood and knew what they wanted,” she said. “I think it just reaffirms that undocumented students have always been in charge of building their own narratives and truly advancing it.”
Another of Trump’s executive orders extends deportation threats to those with student visas who have participated in pro-Palestine protests on college campuses to “combat anti-Semetism.”
It expanded Executive Order 13899 from his first administration that stated antisemitism to be “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Many students who are part of Students for Justice in Palestine at UCI (SJP) feel at risk due to the order.
“Many do feel intimidated by these policies and quite literally live in fear,” SJP told New University in an email. “[The policy has] nothing to do with anti-semitism and everything to do with silencing students advocating for the liberation of their people.”
According to a White House fact sheet released on Jan. 30, the executive order aims to “protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.”
On March 8, ICE arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University alum. Khalil helped lead protests of the war in Gaza last spring and is a green-card holder.
Mariam Farag is a Features Staff Writer. She can be reached at msfarag@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon