After only a couple of days in office, the Trump administration has set its sight on immigrants, not shying away from their plan to massively deport and separate good, hardworking, families.
After the Trump administration signed an executive order saying that ICE would now be allowed to enter schools, churches and hospitals, families and entire communities are terrified about what the future holds for them under a Trump presidency.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
When Trump’s plan for mass deportations was set into motion, the administration started targeting large cities such as Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami. It seemed highly unlikely that they would prioritize Kansas after only a couple days of the administration, but citizen reports say otherwise.
When there were rumors of ICE conducting undercover raids at Mexican stores in Olathe on Jan. 22, tensions rose for the Latino community at the University of Kansas. Group chats were blowing up with texts from friends wishing that each others’ families stay safe. Questions emerged about whether ICE would soon make their way to our beloved campus, and KU students patiently awaited for a statement from KU about whether or not they would protect their undocumented students.
Two very stressful and tear-filled days later, pictures were circulating around social media claiming ICE was in Lawrence detaining and even racially profiling Native Americans.
The Latin American Student Union's GroupMe chat began filling with messages from students sending resources such as “know your rights” flyers and generally provided support during a hard time for our community.
Photos sent in the LASU GroupMe when rumors of ICE being in Olathe emerged.
On Jan. 22 I reached out to the provost and the director for news and media service asking what KU’s position was towards ICE and whether they would allow them to search for undocumented students on campus. Unfortunately, they chose not to respond.
Without a statement on behalf of the University on what their policy is towards ICE and whether KU will be a sanctuary campus, undocumented students, students with undocumented family members and Latinos in general are left feeling like their University does not care about them.
Angel*, a normally cheerful, upbeat young man described how he’s felt at KU ever since ICE raids began in the U.S.
“It’s this overwhelming sense of dread and despair,” Angel said. “Almost like a bad dream, you know something is going to happen, you just don’t know when it’s going to happen.”
For students like Angel, the possibility of a family member getting taken away is a constant burden that affects every area and facet of their life. It is not a feeling that you can leave at home to forget about, it is a feeling that you carry with you throughout your daily existence.
“I have to constantly keep looking over my shoulder, checking if there’s ICE around. At any point just getting a phone call saying ‘Hey mom and dad aren’t here anymore. You have to take care of your sister,’” Angel said.
Angel mentioned losing sleep worrying about his parents, causing him to show up late to work, something he never did before. His mood has become so somber that even his boss noticed that Angel has been “cracking less jokes.”
Angel isn’t the only one affected by these current events, seeing his dad’s mood change has contributed to his worries and anxieties.
“Me and my dad love to sing. During Christmas we’d pray the rosary, he’d sing, play the guitar, do a couple hymns, but this year it was a little different,” he said. “There was no singing, there was no strumming. He just wasn’t himself.”
Like most undocumented parents with children that are American citizens, Angel’s parent’s biggest worry is what will happen to him and his siblings. Should his family be separated, it would be up to Angel and his older brother to take care of their 10-year-old sister.
“I’ve honestly thought about dropping out in case that happens and just picking up a full-time job,” Angel said.
Angel has had to be away from home in pursuance of an education. Due to the distance, he can’t be certain that his parents and little sister are safe causing even more stress. It’s no wonder that Angel and students like him want a supportive statement from the institution where they are spending all their time.
“At the very least I would like to see a statement saying that they stand in solidarity. Latinos are such hard workers, they sacrifice and work day and night to get to where they’re at,” Angel said. “ICE was already in town and the fact that KU or any organization besides us [LASU] hasn’t said anything is kind of irksome.”
A statement which the Latin American Student Union made on Instagram on Jan. 29 regarding the recent ICE raids.
After rumors spread on Jan. 24 that ICE was potentially in Lawrence, I scoured the internet for a statement from KU that would signal their support, something which I could send to my community to assure them that they were safe and our university was behind us at every step. A statement much like those that the City of Lawrence has made about continuing to be a sanctuary city despite Trump's executive order.
There was no such statement anywhere. In fact, resources that used to be available for undocumented students on KU websites no longer existed.
A site on the Office of the Provost website titled “Resources for DACA Recipients at KU” from Nov. 14, 2019, now takes you to an inactive site where “You are not authorized to access this page” can be read in big, ominous letters.
A tab on the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) website under “Undocumented Student Support” now takes you directly to the Student Affairs website, where no resources for undocumented students exist.
At the beginning of Trump's first presidency, KU was vocal about their support for undocumented students. Yet now, eight years later, they are completely mute on the subject.
A screenshot of a press release KU wrote in support of undocumented students on Dec. 1, 2016
Thinking about it further, it’s not a surprise that even after there were rumors of ICE in Lawrence, KU has not made a single statement about their policy towards ICE, whether they will comply with ICE should they start raids on campus or whether they will take precautions to protect undocumented students.
Ever since the repeal of affirmative action by the Supreme Court in the summer of 2023, the state of Kansas— historically dominated by Republicans— has seized that opportunity to get rid of any organization which uplifts and provides support for minority communities.The passage of HB 2105, which removed DEIB programs from universities, demonstrated that.
KU has shown zero resistance to these measures. The DEIB office was quickly renamed the “Office of Civil Rights & Title IX;” multiple centers, such as the OMA, which were used to uplift minorities at KU were merged together and became the KU Student Engagement Center. The student senate filed a now rejected bill meant to rebudget the DEI fund last semester.
If this past semester has demonstrated anything, it’s that organizations, including universities, only value diversity when it’s a requirement forced upon them by the law.
Even taking into account the political climate of Kansas and the politics of colleges and universities, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that your university won’t support you, your family or people from your community.
These students pay thousands of dollars to the University, they contribute valuable assets to this campus and they deserve to feel like their University genuinely wants them here and isn’t just using them to fill a quota.
In light of these raids Lucia*, another first-generation student at KU, has recently been struggling with maintaining her academic excellence while dealing with her anxieties about her parents’ safety.
“It's been really scary, especially because my mom travels a lot for work, and she's always on la carretera [the highway], driving back and forth from state to state,” Lucia said. “Earlier today, I was in class and my mom's location was at a gas station for too long, and I got really scared. I went to the bathroom, I had to call her.”
Like many immigrants, Lucia’s mother came to the U.S. in search of a better life, a life that she’s always wanted. While describing her mother’s story, one of a hard-working woman who did everything she could to provide for her daughter, Lucia chuckles at her mother’s goody-two-shoes nature.
“She's so respectful of everything and is such a rule follower,” Lucia said. “Sometimes when I'm driving I'll switch lanes and I won't put my light on and she’s like ‘Ay Lucia, Por que haces eso!’ [Ay Lucia, Why are you doing that!]”
Like Angel, Lucia carries the fear of being separated from her two immigrant parents with her every day. It affects her ability to continue pursuing her education and her ability to take care of herself physically and mentally.
"I'm constantly just thinking, in any moment, something could happen and they could be stripped away from me,” Lucia said. “If they're taken away from me, I'm completely alone in a country that doesn't even want me here.”
Lucia doesn’t only worry about how these raids will affect her family. Seeing constant reports and news articles where her community, the Latino community, is put in shackles and treated like they’re sub-human makes her worry about her loved ones.
Throughout these recent occurrences, Lucia has done what many students at KU have had to do: persevere with little assistance from those outside of their community.
“My heart hurts a lot, but I have to be strong,” she said. “I'm not going to let these obviously bad things happening stop me from reaching success. I think it's important that we really demonstrate how capable we are of greatness and how we’re not just people that you can push around and belittle.”
Lucia also expressed her disappointment about KU’s lack of a statement.
“It is really disappointing when the school has advocated so much for inclusivity,” she said. “Then when push comes to shove, they're silent.”
Desiring a statement from your university demonstrating their support of all your educational needs is not a demanding request by any means, nor are universities prohibited from issuing such statements.
Countless educational institutions have issued statements in support of their undocumented students, yet KU is disappointingly silent during these desperate times.
Northeastern Illinois University has an entire FAQ section on their website answering questions about what to do when ICE comes to campus where they describe several scenarios and the options both students and faculty have in case ICE raids their campus.
The Chicago Public Schools Board of Education passed a resolution saying it would “not assist ICE in enforcing immigration law,” and the Fresno Unified School District said ICE was not allowed on their campuses without a valid judicial warrant.
Even the Kansas State Department of Education released a statement saying that their “ultimate responsibility is the education and protection of all students” affirming the constitutionally-protected right of any student to receive an education.
It seems the sentiment that KU is trying to convey is one of ambivalence. They aren’t going to welcome ICE officials onto their campus but they also aren’t going to forbid them from entering. However neutrality in circumstances like these isn’t neutrality, it’s sending a clear message.
Latinos make up 10.2% of the KU’s undergraduate population; first generation students such as Angel and Lucia make up 15.8% of KU’s population. These students and their families deserve to feel safe and supported by the University they’re paying thousands for and they deserve to get an education with as few obstacles as possible.
KU should be a sanctuary campus. While I understand that it may be difficult for KU to not comply with these new executive orders, I also believe that KU owes it to its students. All students have a constitutionally protected right to receive an education, regardless of what they look like, where their parents were born or where they come from.
If they are forced to comply with ICE, at the very least they should issue a statement of support for the KU’s Latino community and should ensure that ICE does not step outside of its jurisdiction.
And for the Latino students at KU, Lucia put it best when she said, “As a student population we are so much stronger than the administrators that represent us.”
Remember our strength, take care of each other and foster community now more than ever.
Date
Monday, February 3, 2025 - 12:15pm
Featured image
Show featured image
Hide banner image
Related issues
Immigrants' Rights
Show related content
Tweet Text
[node:title]
Type
Menu parent dynamic listing
Show PDF in viewer on page
Style
Standard with sidebar
Show list numbers
