ICE Raids: What to Know and How to Help

Photo courtesy: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Public Domain)

Although talk of raids conducted by ICE Officers have diminished in the recent months, the fear remains. There were raids conducted in communities near us that sparked questions, fears, and anger within the communities. These communities are made up of those who have the chance of being detained and others who are first generation and have family who may be affected.

As a student at College of Marin I got to thinking, do students have the information they need to stay informed of their rights or know what they could do to help?

College of Marin has a large Hispanic population; some are undocumented, others are on DACA, and many others are first generation Hispanic-Americans. I went straight to the students to get their take on the raids, what they know, and if they know how to lend a helping hand. For privacy reasons, the student’s names have been changed and will remain anonymous.

Stephanie* is a first-generation American who is very concerned about ICE Raids and feels that “as a community, we need to spread awareness about resources that can be used to fight this battle.”

Chelsea* is also a first-generation American and is also concerned with the ICE Raids as “they are detaining immigrants who contribute to the economy, and we would have a bigger problem without them.”

Although many students are concerned for classmates directly affected by the raids, they said they wouldn’t know the first thing to do if an ICE Officer came on campus or saw one in public.

Honestly, I felt the same way. So, I spoke with the Superintendent/President of College of Marin, Dr. Coon. I advised him of the concerns or questions that were relayed to me in hopes of receiving more clarifying answers for our students.

I asked Dr. Coon if he was aware of any restrictions or protocols that ICE Officers take if they were to come to campus.

“If they come on campus they must have a court order or subpoena,” Dr. Coon said. “They aren’t allowed to wander on campus without any legal papers which specify who are searching for”.

Dr. Coon explained that COM, like all college campuses, is required to open its doors to immigration officials if they have legal documentation. But, Dr. Coon also said he has been at COM for eight years and has never heard of an ICE Officer coming on campus during his time here or beforehand.

A question that I found to be most important and of value to students was whether there was any legal information sent out to students or whether there is a place to get it. Like many students, I don’t receive emails from the school, but I highly advise everyone to sign up for them, as COM sends memos on critical issues that occur in our community. Some memos include information about ICE Raids and DACA, as well as COM’s communication with the Canal Alliance. This Alliance in San Rafael provides information, legal counsel, and resources for those in need. Most importantly, Dr. Coon said we have a student advocacy and activities office in the Student Center, a great on-campus resource to find out how you can help yourself and others around you.

Although this information can be useful for some, it doesn’t get down to the details of what are your rights. Well, let me inform you. There are red cards available at RedCardOrders.com. This card gives advice and information in both English and Spanish.