Friends:
I really appreciate Cal State San Bernardino professor Dr. Enrique Murillo's editorial below on how these raids are an assault on communities and educational institutions everywhere.
Here are a couple of photos I took from yesterday's protest in Austin on the ICE raids in Los Angeles.
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| June 9, 2025, Austin, Texas Photo Credit: A. Valenzuela |
Regrettably, Trump's people are vowing to continue their evil deed of separating families. Gov. Gavin Newsom is, of course, protesting this, telling Trump that California is NOT getting invaded.
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| June 9, 2025, Austin, Texas Photo Credit: A. Valenzuela |
In his LEAD Butterfly Project, Dr. Enrique Murillo offers a robust suite of educational resources and institutional recommendations aimed at supporting undocumented and mixed-status students amid increasing deportation threats. These include Know Your Rights materials, guides for families and employers, rapid response toolkits, and mental health research on toxic stress.
Dr. Murillo provides a comprehensive policy blueprint for educational institutions to become sanctuary campuses, promoting safe zones, staff training, data privacy, financial aid, community engagement, and institutional support structures like undocumented student centers. He also highlights critical readings and testimony-based scholarship, including two newly published volumes and a special journal issue, to deepen understanding and advocacy for undocumented student success.
Together, these resources call on educators to create equitable, trauma-informed environments rooted in justice, protection, and systemic transformation. Thank you, Dr. Murillo, for your tremendous leadership in California over the years.
I also appreciate our Austin community for standing up.
-Angela Valenzuela
Immigration Raids Are an Assault on Our Communities and Our Educational Institutions
by
Enrique Murillo, Ph.D.
The recent immigration raids sweeping across Southern California and other regions are not merely examples of federal overreach — they are calculated acts of terror against the very communities that sustain our schools, colleges, and broader society. These raids do not happen in a vacuum. They rip families apart in the dead of night, traumatize students in classrooms and dorms, and leave educators struggling to maintain a sense of safety, continuity, and care.
Let us be clear: when immigrant and undocumented communities are targeted, our educational institutions are targeted. Our schools and colleges do not operate separately from the communities that support them — they are inextricably linked. The raids are not just about immigration enforcement; they are about instilling fear, undermining education, and dismantling the social fabric that holds our learning communities together.
Many of those impacted by these raids are Indigenous and undocumented — and they have a legal and moral right to education. Their presence in our classrooms and on our campuses enriches the learning environment for everyone. Their stories, languages, histories, and dreams deepen the meaning of education itself. Furthermore, many of our most passionate, innovative, and courageous educators are themselves immigrants, Indigenous migrants, or descendants of immigrant families. They are living proof that inclusive, just policies do not weaken our institutions — they strengthen them.
These raids threaten to undo decades of progress. They unravel trust, sow fear, and erode the basic commitments we make to every student: that school should be a place of growth, support, and safety. We cannot allow campuses to become sites of surveillance, heartbreak, and exclusion.
This moment calls for more than symbolic gestures or generic statements of solidarity. It demands bold, responsive, and compassionate leadership rooted in justice. In the wake of these devastating raids, we recognize and appreciate the initial steps taken by some leaders to stand with immigrant and undocumented students and families. But now is the time to go further. Much further.
We call on all educational leaders, policymakers, and institutions to:
- Immediately expand access to legal aid, emergency housing, and culturally sensitive mental health support for students and families impacted by immigration raids.
- Implement and enforce sanctuary policies that keep ICE and all immigration enforcement agencies away from school grounds and higher education campuses.
- Support and pass legislation that guarantees the safety, legal protection, and long-term employment of immigrant educators, staff, and faculty, recognizing their indispensable role in our educational systems.
We cannot be neutral in moments of injustice. Our values, our communities, and our institutions are at stake. The time to act is now.
We invite you to revisit our LEAD Equity Alert issued earlier this year, which outlines meaningful steps that individuals, educators, institutions, and allies can take to protect and uplift immigrant and undocumented children, students, and their families. These resources offer actionable guidance to help ensure that every learner — regardless of immigration status — is able to attend school, engage fully in their education, and pursue their dreams in an environment of safety, dignity, and support.
This is more than a call to action — it is a call to conscience. Education is a human right. No child should be afraid to walk into a classroom. No student should carry the burden of fear while trying to focus on their studies. And no family should have to choose between opportunity and safety.
LEAD NetRoots remains steadfast in our commitment to defending the rights and humanity of all members of our educational community. We will not waver in our fight for justice, inclusion, and equity. Our vision is one in which every student — regardless of origin, documentation, or language — is free to learn, grow, dream, and live without fear.
Let us stand together in this ongoing struggle. Let us amplify our efforts. Let us lead with compassion and courage. The future of our communities depends on it.
LEAD Butterfly Project: Undocumented Student Success - Recommendations in terms of implementing policies and practices
The current federal administration is conducting both mass and targeted deportation against all undocumented residents of the U.S. This includes DACA and other undocumented students as well as the students’ families.
As educators committed to a secure, equitable learning environment, we cannot allow this. Education entities should make stronger demands for anti-racist, social justice policies and practices.
We need to specifically urge for our institutions to implement policies and practices to ensure a safe, supportive environment for undocumented and mixed status students.
Know Your Rights Under the U.S. Constitution – No Matter Who Is President
No matter who is president, everyone living in the U.S. has certain basic rights under the U.S. Constitution. https://www.nilc.org/resources/everyone-has-certain-basic-rights/ [nilc.org]
What Immigrant Families Should Do Now
It’s important for everyone to know their rights if approached by an immigration (ICE) agent as well as how families can best prepare for something happening. This resource provides practical tips for things immigrant families can do now to prepare as well as information on rights everyone has in the United States, regardless of immigration status. https://www.ilrc.org/resources/know-your-rights-and-what-immigrant-families-should-do-now [ilrc.org]
Warrants & Subpoenas: What to Look Out for and How to Respond
This factsheet clarifies immigration enforcement and subpoena powers and what to do in response to receiving an immigration warrant or subpoena. https://www.nilc.org/resources/warrants-and-subpoenas-facts/ [nilc.org]
Messaging Guide: Immigration Enforcement in Sensitive Locations/Protected Areas
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BFAvmGR9cJ4UYSwTWyMKpuTHIpXqQNag5oV7GjebsEs/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ast3mgpdvh9g [docs.google.com]
Toxic Stress
Research shows that concerns related to immigration enforcement can create toxic stress for entire families, limit access to critical services, and lead to limited mobility and reduced outings, even to places like libraries and playgrounds. This type of anxiety is harmful to children’s development, especially for young children. https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2018_ourchildrensfears.pdf [clasp.org]
Protecting Student Data
Information and resources about federal protections regarding student data, such as FERPA. https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/protecting-student-data/ [higheredimmigrationportal.org]
Data Information
Information and resources about immigration databases, information sharing systems and more. https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/datainformation-and-protection-resources/ [higheredimmigrationportal.org]
A Guide for Employers: What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace
This guide, developed in collaboration with the National Employment Law Project (NELP), provides practical advice for addressing immigration-related actions in the workplace. First published in December 2017, it is available in multiple languages, including Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Thai. https://www.nilc.org/resources/a-guide-for-employers-what-to-do-if-immigration-comes-to-your-workplace/ [nilc.org]
Protest and Civic Participation
Everyone, regardless of immigration status, has a constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech and lawful assembly. Noncitizens, however, are uniquely placed at a disadvantage when exercising those rights if law enforcement intervene and make arrests.
10 Things Noncitizen Protestors Need to Know - https://www.ilrc.org/resources/10-things-noncitizen-protestors-need-know [ilrc.org]
Immigrants’ Participation in Protests - https://www.nilc.org/resources/immigrant-participation-in-protests-rights/ [nilc.org]
Rapid Response Toolkit
The newly released toolkit is based on best practices and lessons learned from communities conducting rapid responses during ICE raids and arrests. It provides a plan of action for communities to support and guide people during and after a raid, as well as a how-to guide and a model notebook to help you build an inclusive rapid response team. Help empower your community by organizing and staying informed. https://www.cliniclegal.org/toolkits/rapid-response-toolkit [cliniclegal.org]
LEAD Projects - general blueprint to Support Undocumented Students
1. Increase College Access• Develop a coordinated outreach plan with immigrant youth-led organizations, immigrant advocacy coalitions, and other community-based organizations to build trust and help undocumented students learn about accessing the community college system• Strengthen the K-12 pipeline to engage undocumented students, parents, teachers, and counselors and facilitate transition to higher education• Recruit undocumented students as community ambassadors and student role models• Develop online sites that promote programs and resources for undocumented students• Promote dual enrollment in high school and college courses as a cost-saving college preparation strategy
2. Make College Affordable Through Financial Assistance• Assist in finding and applying for available scholarship resources• Increase college and private fundraising for scholarship opportunities• Adopt institutional funding for scholarship-based internships
3. Support College Readiness and Success• Designate staff responsible for advising undocumented students• Provide professional development to college personnel about unique challenges facing undocumented students and resources to help them• Engage parents and keep them involved during the college experience
4. Offer Alternatives for Adult Learners• Connect adult education and community college systems through partnerships and case management• Adopt ABE-ESL bridge courses, career pathways, and online learning to support adult students
5. Improve College Retention and Completion• Promote campus safe zones and empower immigrant students as leaders• Provide a continuum of support services to promote the academic, social, and emotional well-being of undocumented students• Organize campus-wide events to build institutional awareness and support for undocumented students• Facilitate transfer to the workplace
Seeking to work towards a sanctuary campus1. Create or reinvigorate an active campus task force to effectively implement the recommendations below. Include the voices and concerns of those who are directly impacted.2. Campuses should allocate sufficient resources to provide "Know Your Rights" workshops and literature.3. Campuses should not share student data with ICE or any entity, including family or financial data from the FAFSA, under any circumstances.4. Campuses should develop and disseminate a strong message of support for undocumented and mixed status students from the institution’s highest administrative leaders. The message should include steps that each campus community member should take to ensure the highest degree of noncooperation with federal entities allowed by state law. It should be posted on the top administrator’s webpage and disseminated to all members of the campus community.5. Campuses should provide mandatory training for all faculty and staff regarding the state laws referenced above and the campus’ specific policies and practices regarding contact with federal agencies. In particular, campus administrators should have substantive dialogue with all the different departments that might manage information about students’ or families’ immigration status, such as information technology, admissions, registrar, and financial aid. The training should make explicit that there are consequences for faculty and/or staff that violate these state laws and campus policies and practices.6. Campuses should follow state law and guidelines regarding noncooperation with ICE and/or other federal entities. In California, for example, this includes SB 54, a 2017 California state law that prevents state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources on behalf of federal immigration enforcement agencies, and AB21, 2017 legislation that requires California state and community colleges, and requests UC universities to establish various policies and procedures on their campuses to foster a campus environment that is safe and welcoming for all members of our community, regardless of immigration status.This also includes recent guidelines disseminated by California Attorney General Rob Bonta (Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s Colleges and Universities)7. Representatives from ICE and/or any other federal agency should not be allowed to contact students on campus without a judicial warrant. In California. campuses should follow California's guidelines disseminated by the CA Attorney General to protect students.8. Campuses should institutionalize its support for undocumented student centers and their services. Such centers cannot work effectively without sufficient, consistent resources and supportive collaboration from faculty and staff. This includes providing sufficient resources to enable undocumented student centers to be fully staffed, including the services of a full-time director/coordinator to manage the day-to-day operations, train and supervise employees, organize events and retention programs, and manage the budget. The staff should also include a full-time counselor for undocumented and mixed status students. The centers should also be resourced to provide emergency funds to undocumented students in crisis.See general bluprint above, and here: https://www.csusb.edu/lead/events/lead-butterfly-project9. Campuses should attempt to provide sponsorship for undocumented campus members to ensure their continued institutional contributions.10. Campuses should take all steps necessary to discourage and/or punish vigilante actions by any member of the campus community, including reports by faculty, staff, and/or students to ICE that allege undocumented status for any member of the campus community.
For additional institutional reflection and action, consult the “10 Practices to Safeguard Undocumented Student Data in Higher Education” developed and disseminated by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration: https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/resources/rights-protections-hub-guidance-for-institutions-and-immigrant-students/?fbclid=IwY2xjawH9GjxleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfl5NkMybS-sv0zYGYGQwqzt6wYwJvbGQg_PrC67_i4UzIk0Tov8Ron8qQ_aem_tGDYzwqdhUdTboFhhzR2ZQ [higheredimmigrationportal.org]
Here are two new books on Undocumented Student Success. The research is clear; deportation causes significant harm, as the research has shown. It is a major source of stress, fear, and worry. Detention and deportation involve a sudden removal from one’s home, school, and family; incarceration without due process; and forced migration to a place where students may no longer have family, a home, work connections, or even the facility to speak the language. Then as students’ family members are deported, students are deprived of their family member’s care and support. Deportation leads to major financial and mental health setbacks, threatening their ability to complete their educational journey.
Aspirations and Challenges for Undocumented Student Success: Critical Readings and Testimonios- Enrique G. Murillo, Jr., Sharon Velarde Pierce
Advocacy and Policy Change for Undocumented Student Success: Critical Readings and Testimonios- Enrique G. Murillo, Jr., Sharon Velarde Pierce
Special Issue of the Journal of Latinos and Education - Topic: Undocumented Students Volume 20, Issue 3 (2021)
Undocumented College Students in California: Lessons from a Research Collaboration
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hjle20/20/3 [tandfonline.com]
Other Useful Articles, Reports and Tools:
- Undocumented Students: History and Implications for Higher Education Administrators - Sage Journals
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1538192719860482 [journals.sagepub.com]
- “They’re in the Shadows”: School Counselors Shar e in the Shadows”: School Counselors Share the Live the Lived Experiences of Latino/a Undocumented Students
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1152&context=jca [scholarworks.wmich.edu]
- Education Equity for Undocumented Graduate Students and the Key Role of My Undocumented Life
https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Equity-for-Undocumented-Graduate-Students-and-My-Undocumented-Life.pdf [higheredimmigrationportal.org]
- In Their Voices: Undocumented in California Public Colleges and Universities (The Campaign for College Opportunity)
https://collegecampaign.org/portfolio/in-their-voices/ [collegecampaign.org]
- Use the interactive map below to find information about campus centers for undocumented students, support programs, website addresses with relevant information, and contact information of undocumented allies/liaisons. This information is critical to improve access and success for undocumented students in higher education (The Campaign for College Opportunity)
https://collegecampaign.org/undoc-student-resources/ [collegecampaign.org]
- UNDOCUCOLLEGE GUIDE & EQUITY TOOL - CALIFORNIA 2016
WORKING TOWARD EDUCATIONAL EQUITY & INCLUSION OF UNDOCUMENTEDSTUDENTS AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA
https://immigrantsrising.org/wp-content/uploads/Immigrants-Rising_CA-UndocuCollege-Guide-and-Equity-Tool_Full-Report.pdf [immigrantsrising.org]
Thank you - Gracias - Tlazokamate, EM
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Enrique G. Murillo, Jr., Ph.D. [emurillo.org]
Full Professor, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Executive Director & Founder, LATINO EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY DAYS (LEAD)
Founding Editor-In-Chief, JOURNAL OF LATINOS AND EDUCATION [emurillo.org]
Faculty Director, DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
California State University, San Bernardino
I acknowledge, recognize and respect the local Indigenous Peoples of where I reside and work: Serrano-Cahuilla-Cupeño-Tongva-Tataviam-Chumash- Kumeyaay, and others from Southern California...as the traditional stewards of these lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. This acknowledgement, respect and recognition extends to the de-tribalized diaspora, native descendants of Maiz- or Corn-based cultures of the greater Mesoamerican regions who themselves displaced of land, have found ourselves as residents in the homelands and nations of other Indigenous peoples.
Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of CSUSB or the CSU system. Academic freedom gives faculty the right to express their views — in speech, writing, and through electronic communication, both on and off campus — without fear of sanction, unless the manner of expression substantially impairs the rights of others or those views demonstrate that they are professionally ignorant, incompetent, or dishonest with regard to their discipline or fields of expertise. Free inquiry and free speech are the cornerstones of an academic institution to the creation and transfer of knowledge. Expression of diverse points of view is of the highest importance, not solely for those who present and defend some view but for those who would hear, disagree, and pass judgment on those views. The belief that an opinion is pernicious, false, and in any other way despicable, detestable, offensive, or ‘just wrong’ cannot be grounds for its suppression."
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