The recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across the country have instilled fear in many students here at Akins High School. From ICE being in national headlines and now local areas the atmosphere has changed within the community.
ICE operations have intensified recently, sparking protests across the country and creating a ripple effect that has reached Austin. Most recently, a protest was held outside the city hall on Jan. 20. The impact is being felt locally following reports of ICE agents operating in the Buda and Kyle areas and the detention of five AISD employees.
The reach of these operations has extended into the school system itself. According to the teacher’s union Education Austin, five AISD employees have been detained by ICE, including a teacher at Hart Elementary, Roberto Lopez Falcon. These detentions have rattled educators and students alike, bringing the reality of deportation into the classroom.
A recent survey conducted by The Eagle’s Eye revealed that the recent enforcement actions have deeply affected the student body’s sense of safety and trust. According to the survey responses, a vast majority of students reported a significant drop in their trust in federal law enforcement following recent news of ICE raids. Furthermore, nearly half of the respondents indicated they personally know someone—a family member, friend, or neighbor—who has been directly affected by deportations or detentions.
“My people feel more scared about ICE; they barely want to get out of their house because they don’t feel safe,” wrote one anonymous junior in the survey. “This is not okay, and it needs to stop.”
The fear extends beyond the home and into the workplace. One sophomore who works in the Buda area described receiving specific training on interacting with agents after several sightings at their store.
“We are only allowed to take their orders… no more than that,” the student wrote. “We recently went through a training because we’ve seen several ICE agents in our stores.”
For Senior Adeleah Cardenas, these headlines translate into daily anxiety.
“I have a lot of friends who are very scared to leave and go places, especially their parents, just cause of what’s going on,” Cardenas said. “I think that’s a very unfortunate situation.”
While she noted that they have not been detained personally, the stress is unavoidable. Cardenas described the emotional toll of wondering if family members—a father, aunts, or uncles—might not come home after work.
The debate over immigration often centers on criminality, a narrative that Cardenas argues is deeply flawed. Critics of recent enforcement actions point out that many undocumented immigrants work essential jobs in farming and construction industries that rely heavily on their labor.
“I feel like it is a very huge rumor that these people are criminals… but it’s really just people trying to have a better life for themselves,” she said. “There are a lot of people here who are here for a better future for their kids, who want the ability to work and to have a better life.”
The fear of family separation has been heightened by national cases, such as the recent detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in Minnesota, who was subsequently transferred to a facility in Texas. For the Akins student, seeing children detained strikes a nerve.
“My mom is a teacher, and she works with pre-k’ers, and currently she’s been under a lot of stress because a few of her students were caught by ICE,” the student shared. “It’s taken a very large toll on her.”
As protests continue—including a recent anti-ICE demonstration outside City Hall and protests at many schools in the area and farther—community members are looking for ways to support one another. For Cardenas, the first step is breaking the silence.
“The biggest thing you can do is to talk about it and spread awareness… because avoiding the fact of what’s happening is normalizing it,” Cardenas said.
