Fear of immigration enforcement has created uncertainty for some students at Brookdale Community College. It has affected not only their daily lives but their goals of pursuing higher education.
One Brookdale student, who asked to remain anonymous, said her family has lived with concerns about immigration enforcement for years. Those fears became a reality last August when her older brother was suddenly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The student said her family entered the United States legally through the asylum process about 11 years ago after leaving their home country because of unsafe conditions.
“We’ve always been sort of paranoid of ICE,” the student said. “I was told to always keep my work ID with me just in case I ever encounter ICE and have to prove that I’m allowed to be here legally.”
The situation escalated on Aug. 7 when her brother went outside to grab something from his car. According to the student, three ICE agents had been waiting nearby.
“He went outside in his pajamas to get something from his car, and suddenly three ICE cars pulled up and told him to put his hands behind his back,” she said.
Her brother was taken to a detention facility and later transferred between multiple facilities across the country before eventually being held in Mississippi. The sudden arrest and lack of information created a period of confusion and fear for the whole family.
“It was the uncertainty of it all,” she said. “We didn’t know how he was, what was happening, or what we were supposed to do.”
During that time, the student said the situation affected nearly every part of her life, including her education. She decided to take some time away from college while her family waited to learn what would happen next.
“I dropped out of college at that time because I didn’t know what the future was going to be,” she said. “I didn’t know if we would have to leave the country, so I didn’t want to spend money on school if everything was about to change.”
After about two months in detention, her brother was eventually released on bail. However, the experience has continued to have a lasting effect on the family. She said they have become much
more cautious in their daily lives and try to avoid areas where ICE activity is reported. The
situation also left her family feeling powerless as they wait for answers about what will happen next.
“Now we’re just a lot more careful,” she said. “If we hear that ICE is somewhere nearby, we avoid that area completely.”
She said the process also revealed how hard it can be for families to navigate the immigration detention system.
“A lot of it was just trying to figure out how everything works,” she said. “How do you send money? How do you contact someone in the facility? We didn’t know any of that.”
Looking back, the student said she hopes more people understand the impact imigration enforcement can have on entire families, not just the person being detained.
“It just feels like they could do this to anyone,” she said.