Editor,
As the New Mexico Dream Team (NMDT) and as a chapter based in the University of New Mexico (UNM), we want to take a formal stance against the participation of the U.S Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) during Career Services Fair. As a statewide organization, we fight for the dignity and equality of all families, regardless of immigration status. As students of UNM, we value education and define it beyond a title or diploma. To us, an education is an avenue towards achieving our dreams and honoring our community.
Our space at UNM represents overcoming the obstacles we have encountered: the sweat of our parents’ hard work, the memories of our family members in our home country, the first time we stepped into an English class without understanding a word, the first time we were dehumanized and called “illegal,” and the moment we decided to re-claim our rights and humanity through education.
When we applied to UNM, we believed in the mission and vision of our fine institution. We believed that UNM’s value for diversity meant that we would be accepted based on our abilities and character, not our immigration status. We found refuge and safety in this value for diversity because it is not a value that every educational institution or state prioritizes.
As Lobos, we are proud of UNM for opening the doors to students who deserve being admitted. With open doors, however, our experience at UNM has placed us in a position in which we have felt like UNM does not always value our safety and best interest as students.
On February 9, 2016, CBP was actively recruiting at the on-campus Career Services Fair. Because UNM has historically been known as a campus that strives to support students, the NMDT was surprised at the figurative withdrawal of support for undocumented students and their families by allowing CBP to participate in the Career Fair that took place in the center of the university. We feel strongly about UNM allowing an agency that participates in the detention, deportation, and separation of our families to have a physical presence on campus.
We believe this incident not only disrupts UNM’s climate for learning, but also promotes an environment of anxiety for undocumented students and students who have suffered traumatic experiences such as family separation at the hands of CBP. The presence of CBP on campus is a reminder of the constant stigma, stereotypes, and criminalization that our immigrant community and our families face.
According to the UndocuScholars report, undocumented students have the highest rates of depression in comparison to their peers, which affects the mental health of our mixed status students and their families. For this reason, the presence of CBP fosters far more than unfounded or superficial fear; its presence causes real emotional distress to undocumented students and their families.
Moreover, CBP’s physical presence on campus further contributes to the marginalization of students and parents who face discouragement in the application process to institutions of higher education. As leaders within our community and schools, we understand that there are students who have a different opinion on the issue, but we believe that CBP has other avenues for recruitment that do not involve physical presence on campus.
We respectfully ask administrators, faculty members, the student body and community members who are part of this institution to join the NMDT in our stance against allowing CBP to have a presence on our campus. We ask that you would join us in committing to the vision and mission of UNM and to the creation of safe learning spaces for all students, regardless of immigration status.
Thank you for your attention,
Karla Molinar-Arvizo
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Project Coordinator
NM Dream Team
