Clarke Central High School students participate in the national movement ICE Out of Everywhere against United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Billy Henderson Stadium on Jan. 30. Since U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office, immigration policies have become much stricter, creating a hostile environment for Hispanic citizens and immigrants alike. “ICE has become something that non-citizens and citizens alike are forced to fear rather than appreciating those meant to protect the country from ‘the worst criminals,’” Viewpoints Editor Isabella Gresham wrote. “With two American citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, wrongfully shot and killed by ICE agents on Jan. 7 and Jan. 24, respectively, they prove to go beyond their assumed duties.” Photo by Cooper Jones
After U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has far exceeded their assumed responsibilities, a detriment to the Hispanic population.
One moment, a child stands with their mom in a grocery store, going about their day. The next, the child is left without a mother. She was taken by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
While it may seem abstract, this scenario has become the reality for thousands of immigrant families across the country.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2025 after promising to strengthen border control, he has done exactly that. But he has exceeded the expectations in a far from positive way.
ICE has become something that non-citizens and citizens alike are forced to fear rather than appreciate. With two American citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, wrongfully shot and killed by ICE agents on Jan. 7 and Jan. 24, respectively, they prove to go beyond their prescribed duties.
Beyond that, American citizens, and those trying to go through the citizenship process legally, have been kidnapped on numerous occassions despite having no criminal record.
According to the research center Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, as of April 4, 70.8% of detainees held in ICE detention centers have no criminal convictions. Stating that all immigrants that ICE kidnaps are “violent criminals” is a blatant lie and a poor excuse for subjecting them to horrific conditions in ICE facilities, which is further proved after ICE detained five-year-old Liam Ramos on Jan. 20.
An infographic displays United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment statistics. Once U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term, ICE became more prevalent nationally and has since posed more of a threat for both undocumented and documented immigrants. “I, and the many children of immigrant parents, shouldn’t have to hope every day that their parents are carrying proper identification, like a passport, just to avoid ICE officers,” Viewpoints Editor Isabella Gresham wrote. Graphic by Isabella Gresham
ICE and immigration laws are no longer about making the country a safer place — they are about racially profiling and harming the Hispanic population as a whole.
For both Athens-Clarke County, with 12.7% of its community members identifying as Hispanic, and Clarke Central High School, which has a 27.1% Hispanic population, this poses a real threat.
Being the daughter of a first-generation immigrant mother and stepdaughter of immigrants, I’m faced with the reality of fearing for my family members. While all of them came to the U.S. legally, I still have to worry about them speaking Spanish, their brown skin or their accents causing them to be stopped in the middle of the street and wrongfully detained.
I, and the many children of immigrant parents, shouldn’t have to hope every day that their parents are carrying proper identification, like a passport, just to avoid ICE officers.
“Undocumented or terrified children don’t want to go to school. People (are) afraid to go to work…On a day-to-day basis, (ICE) has a very chilling effect (on) people trying to live their normal lives,” Athens immigration attorney Sujata Gupta Winfield said. “I can’t imagine people living in fear that they can be put into detention, separated from their loved ones (and) left without an income.”
“ICE and immigration laws are no longer about making the country a safer place — they are about racially profiling and harming the Hispanic population as a whole.”
— Isabella Gresham,
Viewpoints Editor
In an ever-changing and worsening political climate, the most that the Athens community can do for those suffering from these policies is to advocate. CCHS has hosted a walkout against ICE and the ACC community has organized protests, but that isn’t enough.
Our voices have to be heard to create any sense of change.
In a world where Hispanic and immigrant families are left fearing deportation, and in some cases, their life, both the ACC and CCHS communities have to continue to protest and lobby for limitations on ICE and for better immigration policies.
No person, regardless of immigration status, should be left living in constant fear.
