On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted an on-site audit at CSU Bakersfield of two programs that serve international students. On Monday, two emails were sent to alert students and staff of the upcoming visit, and the emails caused fear and anger among the students.
In the first email from CSUB, it was stated that DHS would be here along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The follow-up email stated that only one representative from DHS would attend, no ICE agents, and that this was a routine visit. However, the damage from the first email had already been done, resulting in many students not coming to class on Tuesday.
Nora Cisneros, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at CSUB, offered her classes to be hybrid so that students who did not feel safe coming to campus could stay home.
“I’m doing my classes in a hybrid manner today, meaning that students who feel safe coming to campus can do so and come to my class,” said Cisneros. “But I also opened a Zoom option to support students who may be impacted directly by this. But also, maybe wanted to take the day to learn from home as needed in safer spaces, and I understand why they wouldn’t feel safe here today.”
Hilario Gomez, a CSUB student, said the first email shocked him and that his professor told him he hadn’t heard of this happening on campus in his 35 years here. Gomez explained that the second email did not make him feel any more at ease.
“It honestly made me even a bit more nervous because it made it feel even less routine. It made it seem like something we should be worried about and something they weren’t prepared for,” said Gomez.
Gomez explained that his classes had also been significantly smaller on Tuesday.
“At least the two I’ve been in, empty classrooms, because everybody is scared, and the second email just made everyone more nervous,” said Gomez.
He added that he would have wanted to know sooner about the visit and questioned why the students found out so last-minute. CSUB Provost Deborah Thien said in a statement that the visit was routine; however, this is the first time they have been required to alert the campus under the new state law, SB 98, enacted this year.
“The Department of Homeland Security, our field representative, told us that they’re here for a routine annual visit,” said Thien. “They were here on December 4, 2024, for the exact same purpose. What’s different is that it’s the first time a notification is required of the visit.”
Cisneros stated that as an immigrant herself and as a professor who offers support for the immigrant and dreamer students on campus, she believes there needs to be more communication between admin and the groups that support students to alleviate the fear. She explained that both she and her students had a visceral reaction to the email.
“I think the second message helped clarify that, but there’s a lot of harm that already happened to the plans of students and to how students would feel,” said Cisneros. “So, definitely this is something that needed to be done differently, and maybe in consultation with the faculty and maybe staff members who are actively supporting immigrant students and the dreamer students on campus.”
She added that she wanted students to know the community was there to support them. Several community members from the Rapid Response Network were on campus as legal observers during the audit as well.
“I would want students to know that community is behind them, and oftentimes a lot of their faculty and a lot of their classmates are a part of these networks. So, we’re lucky to have the community be here with us today,” said Cisneros.
