For students across the country, like junior Guadalupe Martinez, Trump’s new policies on immigration have increased fears of mass deportations and family separations.
“A lot of families are being separated and that’s a lot to deal with emotionally,” Martinez said. “Sometimes your parents are the only thing that you have and that definitely affects your life and school life. Where are you going to live? Sometimes going back to your country isn’t the safest.”
On the first day of his second presidency on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump enacted 10 executive orders to enforce and unleash harsher immigration policies for the mass deportations that he promised. This change has extended the authority of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even allowing them to enter buildings such as schools, churches and hospitals. In addition to the executive orders, Trump also attempted to carry out an order which would end birthright citizenship. However, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, a federal court
in New Hampshire blocked the order, claiming it was unconstitutional.
“I’m very aware of what’s going on, like going around the school,” senior Angelique Mendoza said. “I think I should be able to focus on my schoolwork and doing what I have to do instead of my safety.”
Increasing worries about possible ICE raids contributed to a drop in attendance within Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, especially during late January and early February as students walked out of schools to protest the administration’s actions. On Feb. 10, many schools in proximity to Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) joined the student protest held outside the Van Nuys Civic Center. According to LAist, “Attendance at Los Angeles Unified plummeted to 66% Monday amid protests in support of immigrants and against enforcement action promised by President Donald Trump in his second term.”
“I feel like the second semester of school definitely has lower attendance,” science teacher Timothy Hughes said. “And definitely on those walkout days, there were some classes where there was basically nobody here.”
In Trump’s State of the Union Address on March 4, he briefly mentioned his plans for mass deportations, stating that Trump’s administration and ICE are “getting them out and getting them out fast.” In this address, he also mentions that “illegal aliens” were able to overwhelm schools under former President Joe Biden’s presidency. He also stated that Biden allowed “murderers, drug dealers, gang members and people from mental institutions” into the country. Despite this, staff at DPMHS have been distributing red cards that state their rights and explain how to act in a situation if ICE were to confront the person.
“I try to provide a safe place for everyone to be,” said math teacher Tuan “Duke” Huynh, who shared his immigration story in a recent Pearl Post podcast. “I’m very sensitive to those who are affected.”
Since the beginning of Trump’s election campaign, he has heavily focused on immigration policy and decreasing the amount of immigrants living in the U.S. According to tracreports.org, ICE reported a 3.7% increase of detainees after Trump took office. However, another article from tracreports.org states that there has also been a decrease in the amount of Notice to Appear (NTA) or Form I-862 being issued to immigrants. A NTA is a form issued by the Department of Homeland Security to inform an individual that there will be a hearing to initiate removal proceedings.
“It’s very sad that so many people don’t care about how this affects other people,” senior Vanessa Gonzalez said. “I’m worried for all the hardworking people who could maybe be taken from their families.”
The exact number of deported immigrants since Jan. 20 is not yet publicly available but within the first month of taking office, more than 20,000 people were deported, averaging to about 650 individuals per day. In most recent news, Trump continues to escalate immigration policy as he begins to revoke the temporary protections of thousands of migrants who arrived under Biden’s presidency. Members of the Trump Administration have stated that these parole programs provide no public benefits, therefore taking action to revoke protections for at least 500,000 migrants.
“I may have been a teenager then (Trump’s previous presidency) but I’m in charge of teenagers now,” English teacher Valarie Quiroga said. “I understand the frustration that a lot of young people might be feeling because this directly affects them and their family. It just makes me worried for the people I have in my life as well as those that are undocumented.”
Additionally, international college students who are in the United States under student visas are being detained for being outspoken during Palestinian protests. On March 25, Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student originally from South Korea, faced possible deportation for taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest on campus that the government deemed anti-semetic.
These actions and policies have raised concerns regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which is a program meant to protect undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, from deportation, providing them the opportunity to work, although not granting them legal status. It was created during the Obama Administration in 2012 to defer removal action against a person who is at risk of being deported. Due to Trump previously attempting to remove the program during his previous presidency, many worry that it will not remain protected under the current administration.
“The staff here essentially have a checklist of things given to us by the district that we do if someone comes on campus and stuff like that,” magnet coordinator James Morrison said. “We have certain operation standards that we must go with.
