By Antonio Hernandez
As tensions across the United States continue to grow around immigration enforcement and reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in communities, students at colleges and universities have begun organizing demonstrations and discussions on their campuses.
One student at Montclair State University, Gabriel Vazquez, decided to take action by organizing an ICE walkout in March to raise awareness and show support for immigrant communities.
Vazquez, a freshman at Montclair State University, is a Mexican American student studying to become an educator while working two part-time jobs. After noticing several ICE protests taking place across the United States, he felt that students at his university should also have an opportunity to speak out.
Motivated in part by an ICE walkout that took place at Bloomfield High School, Vazquez sought guidance from New Jersey Aspiring Educator President-elect and Montclair student Abigail Rodriguez. Rodriguez gave suggestions on how to organize the event and navigate campus procedures. With her support, he contacted university administrators, campus clubs and student organizations to help coordinate the event.
Seeing members of his own community affected by immigration enforcement further motivated him to take action. Vazquez reached out to outside organizations, including Make the Road New Jersey and LASSO, two organizations that advocate for immigrant rights, to participate in the event.
With assistance from campus groups and coordination with campus security, the walkout provided students with a space to express their concerns and stand in solidarity with immigrant communities.
Vazquez hopes the event will inspire students at other colleges and universities to organize similar actions. For him, the walkout is about showing that students should not feel afraid to attend school and that their community stands with them during challenging times.
Antonio Hernandez is the communications chair of NJAEA and a student at Passaic County Community College.