Lately, a lot of terrible things have been happening in our country that are affecting most of its citizens. We are not fighting an outside enemy; the enemy itself is part of our country.

ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was created in 2003 by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which was passed after 9/11. Its main purpose is to enforce federal laws regarding immigration, customs, and border control within the U.S.

Even though the government claims ICE only targets the “worst of the worst,” over the months, we have found out that it is not true. ICE has been terrorizing our country, breaking families apart, and traumatizing millions of people.  Many teenagers lately have been living with the fear that one of their family members will be deported or detained by an ICE agent.

Let’s take a look at what people in our community of Osbourn High School have to say.

“Sometimes the fear of thinking that my dad or my siblings are going to be detained by ICE has changed my daily routine, and some plans that I had for myself in the future, and with them. For example, we would normally plan to go out to eat during the weekend and plan something to do during the summer or maybe the wintertime, but that really all changed when ICE started going everywhere. It really doesn’t help with the fact that people are fearing for their lives and the danger of being deported when they just go to a restaurant or try to shop at a store; it really changes a lot not knowing if they’re gonna be here the day after tomorrow,” said a sophomore at Osbourn High School.

Many students have plans with their families for the future, like trips and activities together. Many of these plans have been turning into dreams and things that might not be able to happen due to the decisions that our government has been making. Many people don’t even feel safe in their own city. We have a problem if a trip to the grocery store feels like you might have to leave your family and your whole life behind just because of some documentation papers.

Some students have very strong opinions regarding how the government is making decisions.

“The government has been making decisions that are affecting innocent people in bad ways. Their supposed “protection for the community” is devastating for many,” a sophomore stated. 

Trump’s administration has stated many times that they want to “Make America great again.” But from many of the things we’ve seen since Trump got elected, this administration has been making many questionable decisions. Some of them are: the way they have been handling massive deportations and treating immigrants, tariffs and inflation, environmental and educational deregulation, targeting legal professionals, and reversing LGBTQ+ protections.

Speaking about the treatment of immigrants, many people have different opinions about whether the treatment they are getting is fair or dehumanizing.

“No, the treatment is not fair. This is because they are treating them like animals just because they came to this country without documentation. The world is free, and we all belong to it,” said an 11th grader. 

This is supposed to be the “Land of the Free,” but lately it hasn’t seemed like that title is true. ICE has been terrorizing the citizens of this country, and during many encounters, even hurting them.

This whole situation is having a huge negative impact on mental health, especially children’s mental health.

“One of my students came to me two weeks ago because her boyfriend’s father got detained by ICE, and she asked me for advice. He went to 2 different facilities and was deported back to El Salvador. This whole situation is making many students and adults stressed and afraid,” an OHS teacher stated.

Democrats have been proposing changes regarding the way ICE has been behaving these past few months. The proposed changes include that ICE agents need a judicial warrant to search homes, mandatory use of body cameras for all ICE agents, prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks, and restricting ICE enforcement near sensitive locations like schools, churches, and hospitals.

 “I don’t think that is right for them to cover themselves because I feel like if they are doing a legal job, what is the point of them covering themselves?” said an OHS teacher.

”I feel like it is unfair for innocent people because they work hard in this country, and they want to take them away for no reason. I think it must be very hard right now for families since they are trying so hard to keep their people safe,” said an OHS junior. 

“I think that the biggest issue right now is that they are skipping the due processes, and that they are giving our country negative publicity. For example, Italy is protesting ICE’s attendance at the Olympics, showing their disdain for ICE and how the organization is conducting itself. Personally, I do not feel less or more safe for myself, but I can see how my students might feel unsafe or fearful, which makes me sad. I want all my students to feel safe and wanted in our schools and community,” said another OHS teacher.

Children and their parents have been scared to go out like they used to, and do the activities they used to do. We the people need to remember that our voices do matter, and we need to speak up for those who can’t.

“I find it hard to focus on school because I feel unsafe as a child of immigrants,” said a 9th grader.

“As a child of immigrants, I will fight for them because they risked everything for my future,” said another 9th grader.

Justice for Renee Good, Keith Porter, Alex Pretti, and all the other lives that were taken by ICE.