In a coffee shop in the United States, community is built through the simple transaction of language. We build connections through our diverse cultures, uniting people throughout the world regardless of borders and ethnicity. However, this moment of shared culture was destroyed when someone made a phone call to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on my sister because her language was deemed “threatening.”

This is one of many stories that students and their loved ones experience back home. ICE has increased its arrests by 2000 percent across the U.S. under the Trump administration. ICE uses intrusive tactics, such as using binoculars to peer into houses, and are trained to trick civilians into consenting to enter their homes. They are cruelly arresting thousands by breaking car windows, holding people in overcrowded conditions and committing countless more abuses in their raids. These tactics erode Black, Indigenous and People of Color’s (BIPOC) trust in public and private institutions.

With 39 percent of the student body being people of color and 6 percent being international students, members of our community are directly affected by racial profiling and violence with the rise in ICE detentions and unlawful arrests. This all leads to more fear for our loved ones and stress about what we’ll be faced with when returning home. As students, this emotional burden is something we have to navigate simultaneously with our studies. Detrimental impacts on education have been seen throughout educational institutions—including higher education—as students across the country are being pulled from their classrooms or worrying about their families, further creating educational inequity across marginalized communities.

“America is a nation built by immigrants.”

This sentiment has been consistently echoed throughout U.S. history by figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt and George W. Bush. Whether you realize it or not, immigrants are a large percentage of the workforce in many essential industries––including agriculture (31.2 percent), hospitality (20.8 percent), construction (22.9 percent) and more. However, a point that is often overlooked is that immigrants are people who have livelihoods in the U.S., and who have generational history in a country that is attempting to erase it. They are more than the products picked at a grocery store or the items sold at a register. They bring entire cultures, languages, traditions and enriching perspectives, and their value is not tied to economic contributions. Immigrants are simply humans who have sought a better life for themselves and for their families, a goal that is universal. So even though they have laid the foundations of this country, there should not have to be a justification for wanting to seek a better life.

Attending an institution like Bowdoin is a privilege, but being in a small community, we are prone to ignore issues impacting the world around us. Collectively, we must acknowledge and educate ourselves on these issues, whether they directly impact us or not.

The Latin American Student Organization stands with all immigrants across the Bowdoin community and beyond, and we seek to provide a safe space to talk about immigration policy. We ask you to be empathetic to your peers and continue to advocate for those who are being silenced. The responsibility is often placed on students to create these safe spaces for our communities impacted by this administration; however, we urge the College to take initiative by prioritizing the wellbeing of its students rather than conforming to the fear that this administration has created in higher education.

The Latin American Student Organization (LASO) Board

Angel Del Valle Cardenas is a member of the Class of 2026.