The Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán (MEChA) held a community dialogue conference in Fresno City College’s library to discuss student concerns about recent ICE activity on Feb. 26. MEChA encouraged attendees to build a community on campus despite worries surrounding ICE.
Students voiced fear about the recent rise in ICE raids across the country. Because of the sensitive information shared in the meeting, students who didn’t consent to an interview will not be named.
Many students shared stories about their friends and family encountering ICE, where they discussed the effect ICE’s presence has on the Chicano-Latino community. Students expressed anger and worry about the way ICE has handled immigrants, including the poor state of detention centers in the country.
Oscar Claro-Ramos, MEChA member and event organizer, said the event gave him a better idea of issues to discuss in future meetings. One common topic was the lingering effects of trauma passed down from first generation immigrants to future generations.
“I find myself learning things that I may be the first of my family to even know,” Claro-Ramos said.
Students also talked about negative stereotypes that immigrants have, such as the idea that all immigrants are criminals. Attendees spoke about the opposite, telling other students that many immigrants are refugees who are looking to give their children a better life.
Seeking education was a common reason for immigration, according to attendees.
Jeremiah Sanchez, a business administration major and attendee, said he sympathized with field workers in the Central Valley, who are often immigrants.
“[I have] a greater admiration, greater sympathy for our field workers, and I’m definitely going to advocate for their safety more,” Sanchez said.
Some students speculated that ICE activity is less extreme in Fresno compared to other major cities because of the large agricultural industry. Others emphasized the amount of work that goes into being in the field.
Sanchez said a common misconception about immigrants is that they’re here to cause harm. He felt that ICE agents cause more fear, explaining a time where he watched an ICE agent detain someone in his neighborhood.
“I’ve seen that right in front of me. That’s right there in my neighborhood,” Sanchez said. “That could be anyone that I know.”
Paul Sok, another attendee who is studying law, said he was “totally against the ICE operation.”
“I feel like it [ICE activity] is disturbed. It’s caused a lot of disruption for a lot of families,” Sok said.
Sok explained that the fear ICE has left on the community extends to other minority groups, specifically the way people interact with law enforcement and the trust they have in their government.
Another student addressed why some immigrants may migrate illegally, stating, “If it was that easy [migrating legally], then people wouldn’t put themselves in harm’s way.”
Other students claimed immigrants don’t always have time to wait for legal entry to the United States if there’s conflict in their countries.
“Some people are not given the opportunity to come here legally,” Sok said. “They are facing danger within their home country and just had to escape.”
MEChA ended the meeting discussing different ways students can connect with each other. Claro-Ramos said school can create more competition than community, and he felt that wasn’t right.
“We plan on forming community here on campus and getting students to recognize each other and recognize that change shouldn’t come from an external source,” Claro-Ramos said. “That change should come from themselves.”
Claro-Ramos encouraged students to get to know each other on a deeper level.
“My struggle is your struggle,” Claro-Ramos said.
MEChA meets every Friday at FCC in the Social Sciences building (room SO-110) from 3-5 p.m. They plan to hold teach-ins about ICE awareness in the future, according to Claro-Ramos.
