The impact of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics and President Trump’s administration proposals administering strict immigration control has affected several of the Dreamer students on campus.
Dream Club President Luis Guzman said, “I am a dreamer [and] it is very concerning from my perspective as an immigrant, as someone who has been living here for […] 24 years.”
He didn’t know he was an immigrant until he was 15 years old.
“I wanted to join the military, and the Marines. I wanted to die for my country. I wanted to give so much,” said Guzman.
According to a Los Angeles Times article, I.C.E. says L.A. immigration arrests were planned long in advance, not tied to new crackdown, “The arrests, which officials have described as routine and not part of a crackdown promised by President Trump, have sparked fear and anger in immigrant communities.
The article also stated, “David Marin, the director of Enforcement and Removal Operations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles, said the actions taken this week were planned before Trump took office and were comparable to a similar week-long operation taken last summer that resulted in 112 arrests.”
Saul Lopez-Pulido, ASCC President, said he feels anxious about the ICE raids, saying, “When someone texts me and tells me [to] watch out [because] I.C.E. is doing raids in Downey, I call home and let [my family members] know their rights […] and they tell me ‘Don’t worry Saul’.
“[I feel] like you [can] tell me ‘Don’t worry’ but we see all the time [on the] news that [ICE is] detaining people they don’t have to detain and… deport them.”
He associated President Trump’s executive orders to a game show stating, “My life is a show to him and every week it is ‘Let’s see what happens to your future now,’” and says that being unsure of his future is unsettling.
Lopez-Pulido created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Fund through ASCC Senate and was approved Feb. 1, creating a legal fund for undocumented students with an initial sum of $10,000. The fund is meant to help with free lawyer consultations, workshops and financial aid.
He has been working closely with Student Trustee Karen Patron, who is also a DACA recipient.
Patron also fears the risk of deportation stating, “I do not feel safe, [because] I could be here one day and the next day be sentenced for deportation.”
She added that she has discussed her sister’s legal guardianship with her family in the event that she is deported with her parents.
Lopez-Pulido, Patron and Guzman would like to offer legal and emotional support for those who are dealing with the fear of deportation.
The DACA fund is a resource students can use, and the Dreamers club can provide emotional support.