by Julian Mendoza
posted Feb. 12
Hundreds of people gathered on Chico State’s campus Feb. 5 for a peaceful march in what was one of several recent local protests advocating for immigrant rights.
“I think it’s super important that people understand and know that immigrants do make the backbone of our country,” said Lizette Pilar, program coordinator at Chico State’s Gender & Sexuality Equity Coalition. “Especially in agriculture, a lot of our pickers are illegal immigrants or undocumented.”
Efforts are underway across the state — including passage of new laws, street protests and information sessions — to push back against the Trump Administration’s most extreme immigration measures. Downtown Los Angeles has had multiple protests including one that blocked U.S. 101 for hours. Ethnic Media Services (EMS), a a nonprofit news and communications agency, held a know-your-rights training Feb. 7 for media organizations.
One of the speakers was Amanda Alvarado-Ford, deputy directing attorney for the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area. She represents low-income immigrants who are mostly from Spanish-speaking backgrounds, and provided a series of suggestions that can help prepare communities.
“As undocumented people here in the U.S. we still are entitled to Constitutional protections,” said Alvarado-Ford. “Especially the protection to remain silent, and the protection and the right to be free from unlawful searches and seizures.”
Viridiana Carrizales, founder of ImmSchools, discussed how parents and educators can work together to mitigate fears, as well as create safe havens for schools. “I started this organization because no kid should ever be afraid of our schools,” Carrizales said.
Chico State students lead protest
Chico’s Feb. 5 protesters encountered a mostly positive reception as they walked around campus and parts of downtown. Bystanders and drivers showed their support by cheering and encouraging the crowd. Some drivers honked their horns in support of the pro-immigrant message.
“Since we are an organization that advocates for women and (the) LGBTQA community, we felt the need to stand up,” said Pilar, referring to the immigrant community.
“Say it Loud. Say it clear. Immigrants are welcome here,” protesters chanted as they made their way through campus and downtown Chico.
Their signs championed the importance of immigrants in American society and criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Popular Hispanic and Mexican music as well as dance performances were an integral part of the march.
“We depend on immigrants in this country,” said Dr. Gloria Lopez, an assistant professor in the Chico State History Department. “Immigrants are ultimately human beings.”
Protecting Constitutional rights
More than 200,000 people have been arrested in the past 30 days, according to data from ICE and reported by EMS. At least 8,000 people have been deported, and ICE has been instructed to arrest at least 1,200-1,500 people per day.
Some of Alvarado-Ford’s tips include:
- Have access to documents that verify that you have lived in the U.S. in a safe, secure place where you or your loved ones can access them.
- Undocumented citizens who have submitted an application for asylum, U Visa, T Visa or VAWA should have a copy of their receipt.
- You have the right to remain silent; don’t say anything or lie to an ICE official. Assert that right in a respectful way to avoid undue harshness from an ICE agent.
- If you encounter ICE at your door, you have the right to insist upon a judicial warrant.
Schools must protect their students
For the past eight years, ImmSchools has worked in conjunction with public schools to guide them on how to create safe environments for undocumented immigrants.
A landmark court ruling in 1982, Plyer v. Doe, stated that every child in the country, regardless of their or their parents’ immigration status, has the legal right to attend K-12 schools. A school cannot require, ask or collect any information about a student’s immigration status, Carrizales said.
“This is why schools do not know who is undocumented and who is a U.S. citizen.,” Carrizales said. “They don’t have this information because they cannot capture this information.”
Carrizales also said that FERPA also protects the privacy of student records. The main way an immigration officer can get access to student records is through a judicial warrant.
“Bring your kids to school. Yes, be aware. Be alert, be safe, but bring them to school,” Carrizales said. “Because ultimately, a lot of us came to this country so that our kids could have the chance of a better future and a better life, and it all starts with education.”
Chico State conundrum
The California Faculty Association chapter at Chico State is working on a know-your-rights training. El Centro, a resource center for Latine students at Chico State, and the organization NorCal Resist were originally going to host a watch training, but the event was cancelled by the university.
“The university understands the importance of events like these and applauds the intent of its organizers,” said Andrew Staples, public relations manager at Chico State. “However, we asked the event organizers to reschedule because we want to be mindful of how events are framed to ensure they don’t unintentionally put our campus community at risk.
“Efforts are underway to find alternate ways for this community-building event to take place.”
Chico State’s CFA chapter said it’s developing a training session following the cancellation of the other event. “We are doing so because we were specifically asked to take it up in light of the first event’s cancellation,” said Nathaniel Heggins Bryant, chapter president.
Julian Mendoza is a freelancer for ChicoSol.