President Donald Trump has made his stance clear when it comes to the United States-Mexico border: deport undocumented citizens, close the borders and make immigration and asylum more difficult in the United States.
Many members of the Latinx community on Western Carolina University’s campus are worried. Worried about their loved ones who may be in danger from Trump’s new orders, while also being worried for themselves.
During the Western Carolina University Faculty Senate meeting on Jan. 29, WCU Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Richard Starnes addressed some of the concerns from students and staff regarding these new executive orders.
“We are fully aware of the angst and the fear and the uncertainty this executive order has created among those in our community who are undocumented,” Starnes said . “We’re trying to be proactive and provide guidance to campus.”
Starnes explained that WCU does not have a list of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) or any other undocumented students.
“We don’t keep a roster,” Starnes said. He went over an email sent to faculty and staff earlier that week, which gave some general guidance on what to do in an event where an ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raid may occur.
He also went over where public officers can go and cannot go. These officials can go to the University Center, Hunter Library, athletic facilities and outdoor open spaces since they are public areas of campus. These officials would need authorization to go into places like classrooms, faculty/staff offices and residence halls. If faculty or staff are ever questioned about a student or their information, they are advised to call the Public Safety office and then the General Counsel office and then “do nothing,” Starnes said.
There have not been any ICE agents on campus thus far, and none have been on any North Carolina campus to Starnes’ knowledge.
While it is affirming that there are plans in place and ways for students to protect themselves, it does not alleviate all worry. Nataly Ramos Gonzalez, a forensic science major at WCU and the president of the Mujeres Con un Propósito (Women With a Purpose) club, still does not feel safe.
“We are afraid of what is happening as a community,” Gonzalez said. “The stories we’re hearing and on the news, we initially believed ICE would not arrive in our area anytime soon, but as of late, they have come closer than we anticipated.”
While there haven’t been any substantial ICE reports in North Carolina, an arrest was made in Atlanta, Georgia, which is only 128 miles southwest of Cullowhee. Other confirmed ICE raids have been on the east coast including New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami.
When asked if their community was expecting this when Trump won the 2024 election, Gonzalez said her “heart sank.”
“It was only a matter of time before he would start coming after my people, my community,” Gonzalez said. “With my organization, we spoke about the election and how things were going to look for us in the next following months. Some of us were upset because of what could happen to our families. Mujeres Con un Propósito and other Latinx organizations are working together to spread the word about the issues going on and we plan to hand out immigrant rights cards to the community.”
Gonzalez also said she would “be at a loss for words” if she was able to speak to Trump today. “Our country was meant to be led by Donald Trump, not be split apart.”
According to the Western Carolina Student Profile Booklet 2024, WCU currently has 984 Hispanic students, which is 8.4% of the student body.
If you are interested in joining the Mujeres Con un Propósito club or the Latinx Appreciation Student Organization at WCU, you can contact the presidents for those clubs through the WCU Engage website.
Trump has signed multiple executive orders to enforce these policies, including abolishing birthright citizenship, declaring a national emergency on the U.S.- Mexico border, and announcing plans to create a migrant facility at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay naval base to house up to 30,000 detained “criminal illegal aliens.” According to the Associated Press, the facility has nowhere near the capacity to house the amount of undocumented citizens that Trump says it can.
A version of this story was published in The Sylva Herald Feb. 5 edition.
