Photo Courtesy of PBS
Source of Tension—ICE agents have arrested parents on at least two So. Bay elementary school campuses.
By Chantelle Gonzalez
ICE has yet to come to Southwestern College, but many students and staff said it feels like the calm before the storm.
Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have raided at least two elementary schools and staked out Bonita Vista Middle School about a mile from SWC but have yet to set foot on America’s most Latino college campus. College leaders and Campus Police have said they hope ICE stays off the Chula Vista Campus and the three academic satellite sites, but they have plans in place. Student leaders, include ASO Vice President Pia Maria Flores Palacios, have been outspoken in their opposition to ICE interventions on any SWC campus.
“It’s not fair that students have to worry when they’re just coming here for an education, when they’re coming to school to try and better themselves,” she said. “What has this country come down to? We’ve reached the point where people can’t feel safe, even in a school environment.”
SWC President Dr. Mark Sanchez and Chief Safety Officer Marco Bareno spoke up early and clearly about federal immigration enforcement on SWC campuses. Bareno, a self-described proud law enforcement officer, said he believes it is best if ICE does not enter college campuses.
“We hold up the culture of Southwestern College and its mission, to offer a safe, educational environment to all students, staff and faculty,” Bareno said. “It is our job to maintain that safety for them.”
Sanchez agreed.
“Our goal has always been campus safety first for all students, because if we don’t have that, then we can’t expect the optimal learning environment for our students,” he said. “That’s what we need to do. (We need to) make sure we don’t have ICE agents roaming around campus.”
Under the law, ICE personnel or any federal agents are supposed to seek permission from the college president or police chief to enter campus under color of law enforcement. Bareno said he will enforce that law and Sanchez said he would back him.
“First and foremost, any federal agency is not going to come onto campus without giving us a heads up,” Sanchez said. “Our Chief of Police sits on regional law enforcement meetings. There has been no indication that (ICE plans to) go on to any college campuses.”
Sanchez said Southwestern follows a California law from Senate Bill 98, The SAFE Act, which triggers a mass alert notification to the devices of all registered students. Bareno is supposed to verify signed orders or warrants before any law enforcement actions can proceed on campus.
Bareno and college staff created and distributed legal rights cards for students and staff, which offer a brief script for exercising constitutional rights in various scenarios. SWC has hosted “Know Your Rights” workshops in an effort to teach students.
“Frequently Asked Questions” posters are hanging in many classrooms with information for students about how to handle encounters with immigration officers. There are five questions listed, including “What happens if Immigration Officers try to force their way into a classroom?” and “What should I say if asked for student information?” Answers below provide the campus and non-campus police phone numbers. Advice includes avoiding physical intervention with officers, document as much as possible with details, and clearly state that you are not authorized to provide information due to campus policy.
Southwestern also offers various forms of support for students, including immigration attorneys, workshops, mental health counseling, access to food support and a designated center in the new Student Union. Some Southwestern courses are offered at CETYS University in Tijuana which is outside of ICE jurisdiction.
Sanchez said ICE raids violate trust between law enforcement and members of vulnerable communities.
“It really is ICE under the Trump Administration that has been targeting our communities,” he said. “We are working with them closely to make sure they do not target our students or community.”
Bareno agreed.
“I was born in Mexico,” he said. “I know how it is to be an immigrant. I think the more you experience in this life, the more you can relate to people and their issues.”
Other local school districts have passed policies and statements of intent similar to Southwestern College. National City’s National School District has had policies in place since the 1980s forbidding cooperation with federal immigration officers that enter campus without notification. National and other K-6 districts as well as the 7-12 Sweetwater Union High School District encourage positive interaction between municipal law enforcement and students and encourage modern strategies like Community Policing that is preventative in nature and focuses on relationship building.
“Trust that took many years for local law enforcement to establish with schools and communities can be destroyed in an instant by reckless and renegade actions like we are seeing from ICE,” said former South County education official Francisco Perez. “I worry that what is happening today in our communities will cause generational damage even after the Trump years. It is hard to encourage children and their families from vulnerable communities to trust their local police when they see people from their communities mistreated by other branches of law enforcement.”
