It’s no secret what’s been going on since the start of 2025. Since the Trump administration got in power, ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) has been used extensively to fulfill his campaign promise on the “Largest deportation in history.” For students across California, especially those among the 2.5 million Californians with undocumented status, going to school may feel like a nightmare. One professor from San Fernando, for example, notes a 15% drop in ESL language learners in their classes, a far cry from a subject that has up until now been continuously growing. 

ICE agents are consistently breaking any sort of etiquette or laws. Many have heard reports of ICE agents not wearing badges or any official form of identification. Unfortunately the law has no clear solution, and most of ICE’s actions largely boil down to whatever they can get away with; Legality is a farce. The Federal government openly supports ICE’s actions, stating undocumented migrants, “will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”

Fortunately, the state of California has been taking steps to protect its people. Via Assembly Bill 21 (AB 21) and Senate Bill 54 (SB 54), both community colleges and local law enforcement are protected from being required by the Federal government from assisting or participating in ICE raids. Further laws have been enacted like SB 627 which curtails ICE’s attempt to mask itself. And AB 540, which allows all students in California community colleges, no matter their status, to have affordable tuition in line with their residence.

Foothill College pledges to do everything within its power to support undocumented immigrants. In an interview with Foothill College President Kristina Whalen She states that Foothill expresses their solidarity with undocumented students, more so than other colleges. In Resolution 2025-16 the Foothill-DeAnza District makes it clear that it will continue to be “designated a sanctuary district,”  Whalen confirms that Foothill does not officially keep record of students with undocumented status; it is only known through informal means in order to keep law enforcement from subpoenaing Foothill faculty, or forcing them to testify as their witness. 

She states that there would be, in any room, “signage that designates areas as private workspaces” barring ICE agents from legally entering in. “That means that we wouldn’t allow an agent to go around to a computer.” 

There are also posters and brochures on every door outside of Foothill classrooms that show your Rights and how to deal with ICE agents 

This isn’t foolproof; Foothill can only “act as a sanctuary district to the fullest extent allowable by law.” Whalen admits, “if somebody shows up with a federal judicial warrant as the administrative procedure points out we have to comply with the law, but we would certainly take our time on administrative procedures.”

President Whalen firmly states, “If we have ICE agents who come on campus, the protocol that’s followed is that those agents are directed to this office. Those agents would likely be holding legal documents, and I have at my disposal resources that would allow me to evaluate those documents accurately that any other office on campus doesn’t have exposure to.” This will help create a “stop-gap” between ICE and students, forbidding them from coming unannounced, and allowing the administration to confirm the legal papers sent by ICE.

If ICE activity does take place, Whalen states that “the district now, by law, must issue an immediate notification to the students, the faculty and the staff via our email channels [and] our text channels,” under AP 3415 in our Administrative Procedures. AP 3415 also states that for students who are detained, deported, or unable to attend from an immigration order, “District shall make all reasonable efforts to assist the student in retaining any eligibility for financial aid […] or other benefits the student has been awarded or received subject to an in compliance with its policy,” and when able to return,“Will make reasonable and good-faith efforts to provide for a seamless transition in the student’s reenrollment and reacquisition of campus services and support.” 

Now, Whalen says that the Federal Government, in response to our policies on undocumented students, could potentially withhold federal funding and “pull student aid,” or get into a legal battle. However, this is not inevitable. Foothill along with some other community colleges are forming a “mutual aid compact […] in which we pool resources to help each other.” The compact is currently under development. 

Foothill and the State of California are very proactive in their approach to fighting this administration’s policies, with Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta both supporting Foothill’s fight against ICE. Whalen says,“When we link arms, you are stronger together, and nobody has to do it alone.”

Whalen states Foothill Faculty and some students have been given multiple Rapid Response Trainings, allowing attendees to differentiate between a judicial warrant and a false ICE “warrant”; Giving information on what ICE agents actually look like, so as to not mistake others like Sheriffs as one; Encouraging those to document ICE arrests. Foothill also conducts multiple workshops educating people on immigration, ICE, and our rights, which you can find more information in the Undocu-ally Page on Foothill or through signs posted throughout campus.

What the Federal Government has done in the last 2 years has been nothing short of disastrous for millions of people in California and the United States. Yet, in spite of all of this, we are not alone. Foothill will not stand by idly as ICE abuses occur, and those with undocumented status will not be abandoned by their school or communities. As President Whalen says that  “we don’t document the undocumented.”