*In order to protect the privacy of students, their names will be kept private.
It’s just another day, you wake up, get dressed and have breakfast, your parents wish you a great day then you’re on your way to school. Only when you return your parents are gone and you’re left alone in an empty house. That is the reality students and other young individuals could be facing under the current administration’s immigration and deportation policies. A situation that can be extremely scary and anxiety-inducing for many students here in Loudoun County. “I feel sad because I am just here for a better life, [the mass deportation] is not good,” a male student from El Salvador said.
Being in the U.S., let alone Virginia, Dominion is an extremely diverse school, with the student body being 42.1% Hispanic, 32.2% White, 15.6% Asian, 5.5% African American, and 4.6% being multiracial or of another race/ethnicity. Despite coming from all different corners of the world, all students have the same objective, seeking opportunity and learning. “[the United States] is a great country, with [a lot of] opportunities, I don’t plan on wasting them and [plan to] just [keep] moving forward,” a male student from El Salvador said.
One of the several executive orders President Trump made regarded the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the United States. The executive calls for the creation of homeland security task forces to manage deportation operations and expanding detention facilities. “I don’t think the president should do that, because in reality, Latin Americans are hard workers just like Americans. We don’t come to do bad things. I feel that is somewhat unfair,” said a female student from Peru.
Dominion directly works with many students who are new to the United States and aren’t fluent in English. It’s especially difficult when it’s possible that students and their families and friends could be at risk from these policies. “[Teaching can be] very emotional, because I get very attached to our students and invested in their future and success, and it’s difficult when I consider the possibility that some of them may [have these opportunities taken away from them,] that they would have otherwise had,” Patricia Sinclair, Chair of the English Learners department said.
Many of these students’ families immigrated to the United States to escape social and economic issues that plagued their country. Some of these students were unable to attend school in any capacity. “[It’s better here] than my country, because here I have the opportunity to come to school and study. In my home country, it was like I had no opportunities to go to school,” a female student from Afghanistan said.
The only option for a lot of these people is to immigrate here where there are more opportunities, less crime, and a higher standard of living. “Well, it’s a little complicated. The worst part of [my country] is the politics, because of the education system, the work system, the [social] system, the healthcare system. It’s really bad [for the average person],” a male student from Peru said.
Between Donald J. Trump’s inauguration and March 13th, 32,809 undocumented immigrants have been deported according to ICE officials. There are many students at Dominion who immigrated to the United States with some student’s families possibly being at risk of deportation.
President Trump has pushed for mass deportation during his campaign. However, the push for mass deportation has led many individuals, families, and students to live in fear of federal law enforcement knocking on their door, or even coming to their schools.
In the unlikely scenario that federal law enforcement were to come to Dominion to demand to talk to a student, or view student records, “Loudoun County Public Schools has prepared a response to that, that will involve support from our attorneys here in Loudoun County Public Schools so we don’t do anything that would violate anyone’s civil rights. Basic mandate is that school should be a safe place. Students should be able to come to school and not have to worry about anything,” Principal Dr. Brewer said.
A sentiment that is shared by many student immigrants at Dominion as it can be challenging to adapt to a new environment especially when deportation looms over many students. “I feel sad when I see videos on TikTok about deportation. I don’t want to see more videos [about that, so I turn off] my phone and go play with my friends and I can forget about deportation,” a male student from Bolivia said.
A growing perception by many is that a majority of undocumented immigrants are ones with violent criminal backgrounds, however, that is not the case. In fact, according to a Stanford University study, since the 1960s, immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than people born in the U.S.
The English Learners department at Dominion has had many discussions regarding new immigration policies and have incorporated lectures concerning students’ civil rights into their lessons. “We’ve also discussed how to address students who already have experienced trauma in their lives. Immigrating in our global situation sometimes brings people who are profoundly seeking a different life, and they are essentially refugees,” Sinclair said. A student immigrant described their life back in their home country as dangerous and infested with gangs, which drives people to immigrate to the United States.
For those who may be at risk of these new policies, or going through other issues or crises, Dominion has many levels of support systems and human resources to aid students. Dr. Brewer said, “We have three teams, we call them crisis teams; [to help] In any kind of crisis, but particularly in a crisis of deportation, we would be using the appropriate resources to meet that family’s needs.” In addition to this, Dominion staff and LCPS officials in general, have discussed and planned to handle a situation in which current immigration policies could affect students and their families.
“To my recollection, there has never been a time, especially not since January 20th, when a federal law enforcement agent showed up demanding to speak to a student. And I don’t expect it to happen now, but if it does, I’m prepared,” Dr. Brewer said.
