An increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in San Diego in the past week has been noticed by the local community. Recent reports show that undocumented students and immigrant communities are navigating unprecedented fear and uncertainty as a result of President Donald Trump’s crackdown. Many are questioning their safety and future, worried about potential deportation and challenges to their legal status.

ICE has arrested more than 7,400 undocumented immigrants since the new Trump administration came into office. The administration has been pushing policies aimed at increasing enforcement in the United States immigration system, including deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and rolling back protections for asylum and refugee populations.

In a written statement to The UCSD Guardian, Dannie Zhu, the Associated Students international senator, stated her intent to support affected students.

“At this stage, these actions include educational campaigns on student rights, enabling faculty and staff to respond to possible situations in a way that best supports our students, and directing students to existing resources they can utilize right away,” Zhu wrote.

Zhu, speaking from her capacity as an individual senator, said she is actively monitoring the UC San Diego administration and local government to see if they are complying with federal mass deportation orders. 

“At this moment, there is no indication that campus administration or the County of San Diego will comply with mass deportation orders,” Zhu said. “Nevertheless, I’ll continue to monitor the situation and am ready to inform the student body of any potential changes.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a statement reassuring local immigration attorneys and advocates that Senate Bill 54, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from acting as immigration officers, would be upheld in the state, despite threats from the White House.

The National Immigration Law Center outlines what ICE can and cannot do:

• ICE agents can enter public areas without permission. These areas include public lobbies, parking lots, and walking areas. ICE does not have the authority to stop, question, or arrest anyone without a warrant or probable cause. 
• ICE needs a judicial warrant or permission to enter areas not open to the public. The Fourth Amendment protects areas where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. UCSD’s campus is considered a public area, but dorms on campus are not. 
• ICE can use an administrative warrant issued by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security and signed by an immigration officer. However, these warrants are not issued by a judge and do not grant authority to enter private spaces without consent. According to Sapochnick Law Firm, administrative warrants allow ICE to arrest and question people suspected of violating immigration laws in public areas. 

Local immigration attorney Habib Hasbini discussed legal protections for the community on CBS 8 San Diego. He warned that agents may sometimes present an administrative warrant, which is insufficient for entry. 

“[Individuals] can ask the ICE agent to confirm if he has a judicial warrant. They can slide it under the door to make sure it’s signed by a judge. It must say ‘United States District Court’ at the top,” Hasbini said.

For UCSD students seeking more information about their rights or legal assistance, there are campus resources available to them.

Resources for UCSD students: 

• UCSD’s Undocumented Student Services offers immigration legal services, emergency legal assistance, free resources such as food, school supplies, personal care items, and more. 
• Know your rights workshop on Feb. 4 hosted by the UCSD Society of Hispanic Students in Law teaches students what to do if ICE shows up at their home or work or approaches them in public.
• Triton2Triton is a peer support chat open from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Peer mentors are waiting on the line if you need resource connections or just a space to vent.