Winthrop organizations College Republicans, College Democrats and Latines Unidos discuss the ICE raids happening around the nation and Rock Hill area.
Within days of inauguration, repeals on Biden-era legislation allowed ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) to raid “sensitive locations,” places like schools and churches that were previously untouchable. This began a swath of ICE raids throughout the country, aiming to detain immigrants and fulfill Trump’s border/immigration control promises.
In a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the administration said: “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murderers and rapists—who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
Additionally, Trump plans to detain 30,000 immigrants in a Guantánamo Bay migrant facility, announcing the plan last Wednesday. This coincided with the Lanken Riley Act signing, a bill further enforcing Trump’s strict policies.
To many, “the actions being done by ICE are not only justified but necessary,” said David Ibragimov, the retired president of Winthrop College Republicans.
“Thousands of Americans have died from illegal fentanyl coming through the southern border, as well as from the deaths resulting from illegal criminals that have devastated many local communities throughout the country.”
As such, neglect from Republicans and Democrats is no longer tolerated, Imbragimov said. “This has resulted in the Presidential win of Donald Trump, who has vowed to radically address the ever-growing crisis that is currently taking place.”
“As a 2nd-generation immigrant myself, it pains me to see these measures take place, but it has reached a point where no other solution can address the immigration crisis,” he explained.
On the contrary, many people oppose Trump’s decisions.
ICE raids “often disregard constitutional requirements,” said Caden Johnson, the president of Winthrop College Democrats.
“[The raids] often use the element of force to enter homes when they shouldn’t or blatantly lie to get arrests, they’ve been caught fabricating evidence before, they racially profile those deemed as ‘illegal aliens,’ and their aims are changing from violent criminals to all undocumented immigrants as a whole being the main focus,” he added.
“The future that I see being most realistic is an increased use of violence against minorities with an increased response from minorities in terms of self-protection. I don’t see this doing any real changes to the amount of undocumented immigrants coming in, and this will further be a money sinkhole that doesn’t pay off much,” Johnson said.
“I don’t think it’s justified to seek out these at-risk populations seeking to achieve a better life who have done nothing wrong.”
However, Trump plans to combat these asylum-seekers by redefining the 14th Amendment.
Currently, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” according to the amendment itself.
Trump’s definition would reinterpret the document, stating that children of illegal immigrants are disqualified from birthright citizenship.
“They’re from here, so why take away that right from them?” said Sidney Perez-Ventura, president of Latines Unidos.
Perez-Ventura and other members of Latines Unidos attended a rally in Charlotte on Saturday, Feb.1, in protest of the Trump administration’s ICE raids. The day prior, students got together in the lobby of DIGs to make posters for the protest.
Perez-Ventura had her young family members on her mind while preparing for the protest.
“It’s really unconstitutional at the end of the day. It’s not gonna affect me but it will probably affect my cousins that are growing up here who have immigrant parents.”
Perez-Ventura is also the child of immigrant parents, and ICE was recently spotted in their Charleston neighborhood.
“It’s so heartbreaking just seeing how close they were to my parents because my parents are hardworking people. They pay taxes, my dad paid $1000 to the IRS, got no money back, he had to pay another $1000 to the IRS… it’s just so sad hearing all the misconceptions about immigrant individuals and that they’re criminals and that they’re out here just doing all these terrible things, when in reality that’s not the case at all. They’re just here trying to improve their life. I’m at college right now because of my parents,” she explained.
“If they hadn’t come here to give me a better life I would not be here. I would not be here pursuing two degrees. Because of them, I am here.”
