Students demand follow up on Associated Students’ resolution meant to support immigrant population – The Daily Aztec

Dozens of students held up signs that read “we don’t need words, we need action” while voicing criticisms of the university’s immigrant protections during public comment at an Associated Students meeting last Wednesday.   

The majority of the students that commented at the meeting belong to Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.), a student-run organization that is known “to advocate for higher education, political consciousness and cultural awareness” and Chicanx empowerment.

In the spring, A.S passed a resolution declaring support for immigrant students and condemning federal immigration policies. 

Now, five months after A.S. adopted the resolution, students are claiming that more needs to be done by student leaders and the university. 

Marina “Mari” Avila, M.E.Ch.A. co-chair, criticized an email President Adela de la Torre sent to students and staff approximately two hours before the council meeting. She said she was asked to provide her thoughts about a draft of the email, but was dissatisfied with the final draft that was ultimately sent.

Avila criticized the first sentence of the email that read: “We recognize that federal immigration activity in and around San Diego can be unsettling, painful and warrants our regular care and attention.”

“‘Can be unsettling?’” Avila said. “This is the opinion of someone who is only able to speak from a position of comfortable power. A comfortable position that is able to afford empathy when they feel like it.” 

The email also references State Bill 98, a law passed last year that requires all California public schools to notify “students, teachers, administrators and school personnel” when immigration enforcement is on campus. The resolution passed by A.S. said that it calls on the university to go beyond the state standards when implementing a notification system. 

Information regarding immigration policy and enforcement under the Trump Administration is published to SDSU’s website. This includes the provisions outlined in SB 98. 

However, there is no mention on the website of a notification system to alert the campus community of the presence of on-campus immigration enforcement. 

The university acknowledged and stated it would comply with SB 98 in an email sent in January. 

“In compliance with state law, if federal immigration enforcement activity is ever confirmed on campus, SDSU will quickly issue a campus-wide notification,” the email said. 

A notification system remains to be published to the university’s website, but hours before the Sept. 23 meeting took place, another email was sent by de la Torre to students and staff. It outlined that the notification of immigration enforcement on campus may come in the form of an SDSU Safe alert, an email or text message, or a web notice at urgent.sdsu.edu. 

Students said they feel a strong desire for the university to do better after earlier this month ICE arrested a San Diego City College student near the downtown campus. 

“We’ve just seen [what happened] at San Diego City College, a campus that pridefully claims to be a sanctuary campus,” M.E.Ch.A. co-chair Alyssa Rodriguez said. “If ICE and DHS can step on a sanctuary campus, what does that mean for us where we have absolutely no protections?”

Andy Lopez, a graduate student, shared a personal account of how he has seen immigration enforcement agents eat at D.Z. Atkins, a restaurant near his residence and roughly 2 miles away from the SDSU campus.

“[Immigration enforcement is] just a couple of steps away from campus,” Lopez said. “We see it happening so let’s not wait until something to happen before we tell our students that ‘we’re standing with them.’”

After the final public comment, A.S. President Milan Rawls addressed the concerns, but many left the meeting with their backs turned. 

“I think what we learn now in public comment, especially, is that work doesn’t stop and the conversation doesn’t stop with that email being buried in your inbox,” Rawls said. “I co-signed that email, I think what is super relevant in that email, that I want to share with you all today is what was in bold: SDSU has no information indicating current on-campus activity.”

As the presence and activity of immigration enforcement continues in San Diego, M.E.Ch.A. said it expects A.S. to follow up on its resolution. 

“We ask A.S. not to make a new promise, but to fulfill the promises that you [A.S.] have already made,” Erika Orozco, an SDSU student, said.