On January 20, the day of his inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order called “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” that expanded the categories of undocumented immigrants prioritized for deportation and called for increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
The president has put much of his anti-immigration focus on Hispanic and Latino communities, leaving many New Jersey residents worried about their safety.
MCCC was just designated an official Hispanic-Serving Institution by the New Jersey Department of Education in the spring of 2024, meaning more than 30 percent of MCCC’s students fall into this category.
As the semester began, anxiety among Hispanics and Latinos at MCCC, as well as other students on visas, immigrants, or those with immigrant family members, has been high.
In a survey of 40 students, The VOICE found that 23 percent are extremely concerned about the impact of future immigration policies on their ability to stay in the United States. Fifty-eight percent said they are concerned about their legal or personal safety, regardless of their immigration status.
Ana Garcia, a Hispanic student at Mercer who asked to be identified by a pseudonym so she could speak openly, said, “I wonder how safe we are on campus. There are so many of us here at MCCC. What would happen if ICE simply showed up one day? Are we safe?”
On January 28, eight days after the executive order was put out, Dr. Deborah Preston, President of MCCC, said in a school-wide email, “The College recognizes that the President’s recent Executive Orders related to immigration enforcement are of concern to many of us. The College is seeking additional guidance and hopes to be able to present more details to the College community in the near future.”
Lucas Kelly, Interim Dean of Arts and Communication, said, “The [college] president has been meeting regularly with other New Jersey community college presidents, especially after some of the federal executive orders were enacted. They’ve been working together to determine how colleges can remain compliant with federal, state, and local laws while also ensuring student safety.”
All public schools in New Jersey are legally required to enroll students regardless of their immigration status. At the same time, the Trump administration has announced that it will no longer ban immigration arrests at places where they had once been prohibited, including schools, churches and hospitals.
Many college students, including 12 at nearby Rutgers University, have had their visas revoked in recent weeks, bringing the issue close to home.
Javier Diaz, another Mercer student who asked to go by a pseudonym, says, “I fear I won’t get back home to my family when I go to work, afraid that [ICE] will come in and take everybody. I still don’t know what to do if they stopped me on the street or knocked on the door, but I just pray it never happens to the people around me.”
In the absence of any current college-wide policies for how to handle potential threats to student safety, some Mercer professors are taking matters into their own hands, telling students to stay home if there is any indication of ICE agents being on campus, and offering guidance about legal rights.
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has created red cards, which are available to print or order in 19 languages, that lay out basic rights.
Sociology Professor Dr. Edward Avery-Natale has these red cards available in his office if students need them.
He says, “It basically gives people the opportunity to just hand over a card to a law enforcement or ICE agent, and not have to say anything to assert their rights, and not have to actually know their rights in order to assert them, because you can just hand this card over and it does it for you.”
Communication Professor Alvyn Haywood says, “I feel very good about our faculty being willing to be proactive as well as protective of students in case ICE comes to town.”
Local political representatives, including U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who represents much of Mercer County, have also begun offering information to residents about their rights. Known for her resource fairs held at MCCC and her advocacy on social justice issues and immigrant rights, Coleman has provided a “Know Your Rights 101” on her website and social media sites to keep residents informed.
Interim Dean Kelly says, “The college isn’t in a position to offer individual legal counsel, but we do aim to connect students with external support.”
Mercer student Maria Melendez, who asked to go by a pseudonym so she could openly discuss her experiences, says, “MCCC has many students like me, Hispanic students. So I feel a little safer here, but I [have] fear when I am out of my house. I also fear for my parents.”
Despite the anxiety they are experiencing, students like Diaz, Garcia, and Melendez say they hold onto hope.
Diaz says, “At the end of the day, we are just here working for a better life. This place has become home to us.”
