Austin Diaz/ Fourth Estate

The fear of raids and trauma responses are at an all time high with the ever changing landscape of laws regarding undocumented students and families. 

BY AUSTIN DIAZ, STAFF WRITER

It was a cool, winter night. My sister and I were watching Disney Channel’s Austin and Ally on the family room’s television. My parents were in the kitchen when they heard a knock at the door. The man who appeared on our front steps asked, “Can we speak to Wilmer Diaz?” Beyond the door, my dad was, now, kneeling and being handcuffed. At that moment, all I felt was fear, as  I cried to my grandmother while looking out the window, seeing flashlights on the side of my dads work van as they searched my father for gang tattoos. 

This isn’t a unique story, at present many children of immigrants are experiencing a similar story. At young ages, children were witness to their parents being taken into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s custody without knowing when they would see them again. 

With the election of President Donald Trump, this fear is propagated. 

Today, ICE raids are happening nationwide due to President Trump’s executive orders signed within his first month in office.  Despite this, the immigrant community did not expect ICE to arrive at safe havens such as Fairfax County public schools, community shelters, churches and Mason’s Fairfax campus. 

On Jan. 20, Trump announced the immediate launch of an immigration crackdown, in sanctuary cities such as New York City and Chicago.

It directly affects the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia metropolitan area with the estimated number of immigrants being 95.4 thousand people in 2023 alone, equating to 14.1% of the population. It amplifies the fear of ICE raids and deportations in the area and in places I call home.

Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin also signed an executive order to permit state law enforcement, corrections officers and local government to assist and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. 

Worry increased when ICE agents were spotted in the DMV area during January. Plus, the detention of undocumented immigrants has been rampant with two accounts of arrests made.

Another arrest of seven undocumented immigrants occurred on Feb. 12, in Annandale, 15 minutes from the Fairfax campus. While raids haven’t happened in Fairfax, places such as Herdon, Reston and Falls Church have seen otherwise. With this being an area where many undocumented immigrant communities reside and where a large number of commuter students come to Mason, the potential of raids occuring hangs over all student’s heads.

The number of undocumented immigrant students are currently unknown. One Mason club called “Undocumason” has a total of 2,336 followers on Instagram. The organization, tailored towards the Hispanic and Latino community, have dispersed “red card” guides, to assist with interactions with ICE. It’s something I wish I knew when dad was taken into custody and ICE detention. 

My story is not the first nor the last, but it’s one of many stories needing to be heard. While my father’s legal status is no longer an issue, my campus friends are in a different boat.  People’s safety and trauma is a barrier for people to share these stories.  It’s the exact reason why I will tell my story and fight for my friends and family here in America. I fight with every breath so that we don’t live in fear any longer.