By Valentina Toro
Contributor
Immigration raids in the state are heightening fear among undocumented college students, with mental health experts reporting rising levels of anxiety, stress and trauma affecting academic performance and overall well-being.
This year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted raids in the state and in some of the neighborhoods surrounding universities, detaining undocumented individuals and, in some instances, deporting entire families.
“It is very hard to cope with the constant stress surrounding student’s immigration status,” business administration major Jerimiah Parra, a junior and president of UndocuAlly Student Alliance, said. “We are here to remind undocumented students that they are not alone; we are all in this together.”
The rescinding of ICE’s “sensitive locations” policy earlier this year and recent law enforcement activity near college campuses have led to widespread fear among students, especially those from mixed-status families.
As the university’s official protocol notes, ICE agents “may not enter non-public areas of campus without a valid warrant signed by a federal judge unless exigent circumstances exist.”
However, this legal protection offers little comfort to undocumented students who fear that one small misstep could put their future at risk.
College administrators have noticed an alarming rise in the number of students choosing to take time off college or dropping out entirely due to their fear of ICE enforcement and new policies that affect undocumented students and their families.
“Many students have decided to take a semester off,” Esteban Garcia, associate bursar and the chair of the DREAMers, said, “because they are afraid of being deported while attending classes.”
According to Garcia, many of these students are either undocumented themselves or come from mixed-status families where one or more members of their family lack immigration status.
Subsequently, this heightens fear of losing a family member to an immigration raid while they are away at college.
“Some of these students were top performers and suddenly have been withdrawing from courses, isolating themselves and also showing signs of severe anxiety due to the heightened fears related to ICE raids in the state,” Garcia said.
Counseling Services offers confidential support for students going through stressful, anxious or fearful situations regardless of their immigration status.
“All of our services are available to all students. We make no distinction — it is completely available to all students,” Nick Pinkerton, the director of Counseling Services, said.
This reassurance is critical for undocumented students, many of whom are hesitant to seek help for fear of privacy or the risk of being deported.
In addition to faculty and staff groups, such as the DREAMers Action Alliance, students are also stepping forward to support each other.
The UndocuAlly Student Alliance, a student-run organization, works to create an inclusive environment for undocumented students and their allies.
As debates over immigration enforcement continue across the country, undocumented students bear the emotional burden of balancing academic ambition with fear and mental health issues.
Many students continue to attend class and seek support from various campus resources and student groups like the UndocuAlly Student Alliance.
“We work to bring awareness on campus of what the barriers are for undocumented students, but also resources, staff members that can be of support or just create a community to talk about it,” social work major Paula Naranjo, a senior and vice president of the UndocuAlly Student Alliance, said.
