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Across school districts in San Benito County, students and administrators have been making plans in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policy changes. They include students at Gavilan College as well as those involved in the Hollister High School branch of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan).
The president of MEChA de Hollister High, Julian Fernando Aguilar, said the group has been working on building community and informing students of their resources.
“A lot of us are a little scared in regards to the whole situation, and I think that’s why we need MEChA so much,” Aguilar said. “Because it helps us be all together, and be more safe, more powerful, and gives us a little more sense of safety rather than just being alone and afraid.”
President Donald Trump issued a number of immigration-related executive orders with the goal of deporting all undocumented immigrants, who he has described as being part of an “invasion.”
Trump’s appointee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Benjamine Huffman, announced directives ending the Biden-era policy regarding “sensitive areas” where immigration enforcement officials are not allowed to detain people. These areas include public schools and churches.
Many of Trump’s executive orders and new homeland security policy conflict with state and local immigration laws. California law empowers school districts to protect students from discrimination regardless of their immigration status. Assembly Bill 699, which passed in 2017, requires that school districts provide a number of protections and resources for students, including the development of policies that limit public schools’ cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Hollister High School issued a statement on Jan. 18 reaffirming its status as a safe haven school. San Benito High School District Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum said the purpose of the statement was to communicate the district’s commitment to student safety.
“We’re reaffirming our belief and sharing to our community so that they understand that our job, first and foremost, is to provide a safe environment,” Tennenbaum said.
JoAnne Zuniga Kaplansky is the program specialist for English learners at Hollister High. She said that she and other administrators were worried about the effects of immigration policy changes on students and staff before learning of the district’s stance on the issue.
“Our staff is more at ease knowing that there’s things in place to protect them as teachers as well as their students, because they go into protective mode, you know, for their students,” Kaplansky said.
Gavilan Community College President Pedro Avila emphasized that California law prohibits community colleges from sharing student information.
“We want our students to feel safe on our campus because they are protected here,” Avila said. “California has declared community colleges to be safe spaces, where we’re not sharing their information with anyone. The data that we collect from our students is confidential.”
San Benito County Office of Education Superintendent Krystal Lomanto also emphasized student safety in an email to Benito Link.
“All children have a right to equal access to a free education, regardless of their or their parents’/guardians’ immigration status,” Lomanto said. “Federal and state laws protect student education records and personal information. Our schools will remain safe spaces for all students and families.”
Avila also said he believes the likelihood of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entering community colleges to detain people is low. He said that because of how ICE operates, schools are not an optimal place to detain people. ICE officials must get a judicial warrant before they can make arrests.
“If they have a judicial warrant, most likely they know the person’s place of work, and also residence,” Avila said. “And those would most likely be for folks who have committed crimes, not for just any person that’s undocumented.
“At least since I’ve worked at a community college in the last 22 years, I haven’t heard or seen [ICE] come on campus to deport someone,” he said.
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