Looming legislation stirs apprehension in MHCC’s undocumented population

Information and resources for undocumented students are available online.

www.mhcc.edu/ResourcesforUndocumentedStudents

With constantly changing policies from the U.S. capital and some recent unsettling events on campus, many students at Mt. Hood are especially focused now on immigration policy and enforcement.

Throughout his campaign for election, the current U.S. president repeatedly talked about deporting individuals who don’t have legal status in this country. Shortly after his election, he signed executive orders to not only seriously curb the flow of legal immigration to the U.S. from a select few nations, but to also have law enforcement be more proactive with enforcing federal immigration law.

One order says that “Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States. These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic.”

Oregon is a sanctuary state, and MHCC has declared itself a sanctuary campus.

But many Mt. Hood students are still nervous, given the current atmosphere.

‘SCARY’ JOB FAIR INCIDENT

On Feb. 7, Mt. Hood hosted the annual Winter Jobs Fest NW, and one of the organizations present was U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Seeing their vehicles parked on the campus alarmed some students. “That was really unexpected and really scary,” said Associated Student Government (ASG) President Kelly Bernardino.

She was not present on campus that day, but received a call from an ASG colleague.

“She updated me on what was happening. She said there were some border patrol vehicles on campus and I was really confused, because I didn’t really know what was going on,” Bernardino said.

After calling some advisers and staff, but not receiving any answers, Bernardino agreed to have an alert sent out on the Student Life App. After the issue was clarified, the alert on the app was updated.

“I think it had some really big repercussions because we have this community that is now kind of scared to come on our campus,” she said. “How do we make them feel better? How do we let them know that it’s safe to be on our campus?”

SEEKING CLARITY ON ISSUE

According to current college standards, if any law enforcement needs to apprehend someone on campus, “they would be directed to Public Safety or to another high-level leader here on campus and they (college official) would be responsible to look at a subpoena and determine if there was legal right for that law enforcement to be reaching out here on campus,” said Nikki Gillis, MHCC officer for access, equity and inclusion.

In order to prevent confusion and make sure students are aware of what is happening in similar, future situations, Bernardino wants there to be a protocol set in place.

She supports “a streamlined, cohesive process if these things were to happen again, just so that we’re staying safe and doing what we need to do to advocate for our students and look out for their safety and well-being,” she said.

LAW PROTECTS STUDENTS

Under current Oregon law, described at codes.findlaw.com, no law enforcement within the state is to use any resources “for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law is that they are persons of foreign citizenship present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.”

Law enforcement agencies may communicate and exchange information about certain individuals, but the police in the state may not pursue any individuals simply for being illegal immigrants, according to the law.

Since MHCC is a college in Oregon, it must follow state law. Even though executive orders are being issued in D.C. and there is constant political chatter about the law, it is important for students on campus to know that the college is still a welcoming environment. And so some Mt. Hood staff are getting together to provide resources for students who may be either undocumented immigrants, or DACA students, say officials.

CHANGES INCREASE CHALLENGE

“The law is changing in Washington, like, on a daily basis,” said Matt Farina, staff member from the AVID and Learning Success Center and a member of the Access and Diversity Council (ADC) and the Undocumented Student Task Force. “We have to be very careful, and Mt. Hood doesn’t want to promise things it can’t deliver.

“We’re really trying to focus on learning as much as we can so that we can provide assistance and make sure that students are well aware of what their rights and supports will be on this campus,” he said.

The college does not keep records on students’ legal status, said Nikki Gillis, officer for access, equity and inclusion and member of the ADC. “While we may look at data and find students who are in their first term at Mt. Hood Community College and find a way to reach out to them, we don’t have that data (status) on this population of students,” she said.

Currently, members of the ADC are following the political changes in Washington, and looking to come up with strategies in order to help concerned students.

“It’s just disseminating information and interpreting that involves quite a lot, and luckily there’s a lot of folks talking about it around the country and we’re just going to maintain being a part of those conversations,” said Farina.

TASK FORCE TACKLES ISSUE

Some of the information requires deep legal knowledge, so staff have been participating in webinars focusing on these issues.

For many of the discussions, “You almost need a lawyer to be able to dissect whatever the order is that’s being put out,” Farina said. “And when we attend these webinars trying to learn more, it’s often the lawyers who are helping disseminate not only what the information said, but then (interpreting) ‘What does that actually mean for a college?’ ”

In order to provide undocumented students with proper resources, the ADC has formed the Undocumented Student Task Force. “When a more urgent need comes up… we form a task force,” said Gillis. “Shortly after the election, we put together… (the) undocumented student task force and it’s open to employees and we’ve also got several students that have engaged on that in that group.”

Currently, Bernardino and ASG Vice President Santiago Velasco are the only students attending meetings with the ADC. “I think student input is really important in those councils because they’re the ones that take those ideas and actually put them into practice, put them into place,” said Bernardino.

CHANGING ‘LANDSCAPE’

With the sweeping immigration policies, comes serious confusion.

“Everybody says, ‘We need comprehensive immigration reform.’ Well, immigration law and policy is very complicated to start with, so it takes very, very thoughtful people to get to that place,” said Elizabeth Perry, Bilingual and Culturally Diverse Student Retention coordinator for MHCC.

“Politically, our landscape is transformed. It’s kind of like after an earthquake, so now we’re trying to figure out ‘How do we get water, and how do we stay safe?’ ” said Perry. “Our college is doing our best to make that possible for students and there’s a strong committed group of people that are doing that. And I would say that in my experience, most every person here has a belief that students have the right to an education.”

Even though the laws seem immediate and sudden, it takes time for any new order to get carried out. “We have to help students and our employees understand that some of these things take time,” said Gillis. “In order to get resources, funding to do what’s in their implementation plan, they have to get approval from Congress.

“It’s a really good time of helping people understand how the federal government works and what an executive order means,” she said.

INFORMATION CAN EASE FEARS

Taking the opportunity to appreciate the executive and legislative process can be a challenge when the laws waiting to be passed are threatening, however.

“I think it’s hard for students because when you’re in a state of fear and anxiety, there’s not the capacity to think through all of those different steps – it feels like it’s imminent and it’s happening right now as soon as those words are printed on paper,” said Gillis.

The best thing anyone can do at this point is stay informed.

“I would encourage all students to pay really close attention to the news on current events and just stay up on things, because things are happening and sometimes it’s very hard to predict what the next thing will be coming out,” said Farina. “We want to encourage everybody to know the facts and take care of themselves, make sure that they’re safe and feel supported.”