During his 2024 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants at a scale never before seen. Now, just over two months into the new administration, it seems he’s living up to his word: the deportations are happening at a rapid pace. For many MVHS teachers and community members, it’s a worrying sight.

“The week after the inauguration, when [students] realized, ‘oh, wow, things are actually happening that were talked about in campaigns,’ there was a lot of fear,” Spanish teacher Lauren Camarillo said.

Junior and President of Latino Student Union Sara Gonzalez said that she has friends at MVHS who are themselves undocumented or have undocumented family members and are fearful that they will be deported.

“His actions have created uncertainty in our communities, especially among minority groups,” Gonzalez said.

She said some undocumented students she knows avoid going out, including to school, due to a fear of being caught.  Students are especially worried about entering and exiting campus or being discovered while shopping for groceries, Gonzalez said.

Santa Clara County is estimated to house around 134,000 undocumented individuals, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The Oracle was unable to verify the number of undocumented students at MVHS because it is not recorded by administration.

“Unless students or families disclose to us that they’re undocumented, we don’t know,” assistant principal Marti McGuirk said.

The MVLA Board Policy Manual also states that student information “shall not be disclosed to immigration law enforcement officials” without consent from parents, a court order, or subpoena. If a request is received, the manual states that the district will also inform the student and their parents immediately.

The policy is part of MVLA’s larger “Response to Immigration Enforcement” procedure adopted in 2018 that lays out procedures for dealing with possible confrontations with United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement or similar agencies. Steps include reporting all officers to the superintendent and on-site police, requesting to see the officer’s credentials, contacting the district’s legal counsel, checking for a warrant, and taking detailed notes following the encounter.

“There are super clear protocols in the district,” McGuirk said. “They do not have access to students … it’s not like they could walk into a classroom … without anyone’s knowledge.”

In addition to preventative measures taken by the district, some teachers and students are attempting to help undocumented individuals in other ways. Camarillo offers “red cards” to all her students that list resources and a framework for how to respond if confronted by ICE. On it is information about constitutional rights, including instruction to not open the door, answer questions, or sign anything. Though she said the cards — which typically come from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center — are not official, they contain the same information.

“I would love every single student at Mountain View High School to have [red cards],” Camarillo said.

Gonzalez said that she carries a red card in her backpack in case ICE appears at her home. Additionally, LSU passed out red cards earlier this year and presented a slideshow to members about their rights if stopped by ICE or a similar agency.

Despite the preventative measures, students and families remain worried. ICE has been sighted across the Bay Area, including during the arrest of a Sunnyvale man brought to El Camino Hospital in Mountain View that spurred protests in February. A number of social media posts detailing ICE movements have also appeared, though the Oracle cannot confirm their validity. A “Rapid Response Network” was also created in which respondents can report immigration enforcement by calling a hotline.

“The fear of deportation is real,” McGuirk said. “It’s one thing to see [this] on social media somewhere far away … and then it’s a very different experience to see closer to our community and feel more real and tangible.”

*This article was also published in the print issue of our paper.