“The administration wants you to be scared.” Latino community stands strong against new immigration policies

Read the Spanish translation here/Lea la traducción al español aquí: https://cvhsolympian.com/news/2025/03/07/la-administracion-quiere-que-estar-asustado/

Less than two months into the new Trump administration, immigrant communities across the country have faced unprecedented waves of tension and uncertainty. Exacerbated by aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, the new crackdowns on immigration have hit home for many in Castro Valley’s Latino community.

Senior Magaly Ortiz, whose family immigrated from El Salvador, describes the emotional toll: “It gets stressful to the point where my family has figured out a plan if anything were to go wrong. We’ve had to ask ourselves, ‘What are you going to do? Who’s going to do what in those situations?’”

An anonymous junior Trojan, whose family immigrated from Mexico, echoed these feelings. “It’s really scary for everybody, even immigrants who are now legal U.S. citizens. It’s definitely more tense now, a lot more fear has been brought in.”

This fear isn’t unfounded. A Feb. 26 report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated, “Under President Trump ICE arrests have increased by 627%.” In January, it was announced that longstanding guidelines for ICE had been overthrown, allowing law enforcement into “sensitive” areas to make their arrests, including schools, hospitals, and churches. 

“I’ve never felt fear like I do now. The ‘illegal aliens’ that he wants to deport contribute so much to this country, but he doesn’t care because this is about wanting to make America ‘white’ again and focusing on pleasing the rich people,” emphasized senior Nayeli Valdovinos, whose family immigrated from Mexico.

Trump’s other goal of ending birthright citizenship, a constitutional right that makes anyone born within the U.S. or its territories a citizen, also fuels her fear. “Trump wants to take away birthright citizenship, and even though it’s unlikely he’d actually be able to pass that, it’s still scary to think that my own country’s president hates me and wants to get rid of people like me.”

To Heritage Spanish teacher Antonio Acosta, also an immigrant from El Salvador, mass deportations and other threats simply show immense discrimination and bigotry against Latinos. “It’s always been like that, to go after the oppressed. It’s not going to fix anything,” he said. “A lot of my students face discrimination, but their parents—and all immigrants—work hard every day just to provide a better life for their families.”

For Acosta, the irony of anti-immigrant rhetoric stands out. “If they’re really all about immigrants destroying our country, maybe they should remember that the first undocumented ones that came here were them—from Europe,” he stated.

Despite fear and frustration, the Castro Valley community has responded with overwhelming solidarity and support. For many, this began with difficult but necessary conversations. 

“My number one thing is ‘nobody is illegal on stolen land,’” reaffirmed the junior Trojan. “Personally though, I have family and friends trying to get themselves into a better legal situation. It’s next to impossible now. Still, I’m trying to inform without implementing too much fear because that’s what they want. The administration wants you to be scared.”

Ortiz has also navigated sensitive discussions. “I have uncles who, even though they have all the necessary documents, don’t feel safe anymore. And talking with my younger siblings isn’t easy, they’re scared too, thinking, ‘Oh, my parents might just be forced to leave.’”

In the home of an anonymous senior Trojan, this fear of deportation has become a painful reality. “My mom has lived in the U.S. since she came from Mexico City when she was 14. She’s been using her friend’s Social Security number for her work right now, and the news of all the deportations has really scared her, especially since ICE has been in the Bay Area,” she detailed. “The other day I asked if we could go to the mall, but she said she didn’t feel safe going out, and I think that’s when reality really hit me. Recently, she also asked my older sister to go to the bank with her to give her access to her account in case she’s deported.”

To cultivate an environment of safety for students, Ortiz and Acosta, president and advisor of CVHS’ Latinos Unidos club respectively, led the distribution of “Red Cards” from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).

“As an educator, I get to represent my community while pushing students to not physically fight back, but use education as a weapon to overcome oppression,” shared Acosta. “I’m so proud that Latinos Unidos took the initiative to make the cards and pass them out around campus.”

The cards provided example phrases for individuals if ever interacting with ICE or law enforcement. “We wanted to raise awareness and make sure everyone knows their rights,” said Ortiz. “Our cards are for anybody of any race who’s an immigrant. So many people came up and were like, ‘Can I take a card?’”

Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), too, has worked to ensure student safety. Board of Education members, including Trustee of Area 4 Sara Raymond, reaffirmed their commitment through Resolution 47-24/25. Many Latino Trojans have expressed gratitude for their efforts.

“Some of the language in that guiding document includes a directive to provide a ‘safe and inclusive learning environment’ and to ‘create a community where all students, family, and staff are welcomed and treated with kindness, respect, and dignity,” explained Raymond. “I strongly believe that all kids should have access to a public education, regardless of their immigration status.”

If you are interested in contributing towards collective efforts of resistance, many protests within our Bay Area communities have been held with more to come. More resources can be found on the IRLC’s website, www.ilrc.org. If you are interested in getting a Red Card, a station in the Library has been set up for free access. Lastly, Latinos Unidos meetings are every Thursday in room 906, open to all.