As President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts ramp up, his administration has continued to repeal restrictions on where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers can arrest immigrants, including schools, hospitals and religious spaces.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman issued a directive on Jan. 21, repealing an Obama-era policy that for more than a decade barred ICE and CBP from enforcing immigration laws in “sensitive locations,” according to PBS.
In a press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders 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.”
ICE has also broadened its efforts to include recruiting college students, aiming to build a positive relationship with America’s future workforce. On Jan. 29, ICE recruiters attended the Howard School of Business Government Takeover Career Fair seeking students for internships.
A recruiter, who preferred to remain anonymous for their safety, explained that ICE should be used to ensure the safety of Americans and to keep the crime rate down.
“We still need to have that legal process because if we don’t we’ll have an influx of criminals. If you’re coming into my home, I want to make sure you have good intentions,” she said.
The recruiters disclosed that this was ICE’s first time setting up a recruitment table at Howard.
They emphasized that they weren’t recruiting students from any specific discipline. They were looking for “good natured” individuals who want to improve the lives of those who don’t abuse the immigration system.
Flyers said that the internship would offer mentorship, professional development and exposure to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and more. They also emphasized the organization’s desire to build public trust, a point that the recruiters tried to drive home.
One of the recruiters, an intern, said she felt many were using fear as talking points to disparage ICE’s reputation and that part of their goal was to “reach as many people as possible” in order to dispel the negative perceptions that students might have.
The other recruiter continued to explain that although she has only worked at ICE for a little over a year, there is “so much more” underneath the surface of the organization the general public does not understand.
A week after the recruiters visited campus, graffiti appeared on the exterior of the School of Business building reading “ICE NOT WELCOMED” and “ARE WE SAFE HERE?”
Howard’s School of Business did not respond to requests for comment on ICE’s presence at the Government Takeover Career Fair in time for publication.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser commented on the mass deportation efforts, saying, “We should advocate for our residents who have lived here for many years.”
She further said that everyone, particularly those who entered the country under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), should have a pathway to citizenship.
The Migration Policy Institute reported that there were 99,898 immigrants living in Washington D.C. as of 2022, making up 14.9 percent of the district’s population with 3,626 being children.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Education, “All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a public elementary and secondary education, regardless of their or their parents’ actual or perceived national origin, citizenship, or immigration status.”
With Trump’s administration lifting the protective barrier of “sensitive environments,” it raises concerns for the safety of adolescents.
Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s new border czar explained that their goal is to locate members of MS-13, a gang that often recruits school aged children.
“How many MS-13 members are the ages 14 to 17? Many of them,” Horman said on ABC’s ‘This Week.’
Most members are between the ages of 11 and 40, and can be easily recognized by their prominent tattoos, frequently on their faces, according to Britannica.
In protest of expanded deportation laws, people nationwide participated in “Un Día Sin Inmigrantes,” which was meant to emphasize the importance of immigrants in the United States.
The day is a call for fair immigration reform. It also aims to raise awareness about the economic and societal impact that can be caused by the absence of immigrants.
According to the American Immigration Council, immigrant workers made up 17 percent of Washington, D.C.’s labor force in 2018, totaling 68,114 individuals. The same report also noted that immigrant business owners in D.C. generated $145 million in business revenue that year.
Washington, D.C. businesses including Republic Cantina, La Casita Pupuseria and Hiraya D.C. participated in the business shut down.
In a statement on their Instagram, Republic Cantina said they have, “been dismayed to see the rollout of policies that tear immigrants from their homes” and urged people to “speak out as anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric makes a comeback.”
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
