“There are federal officers in the perimeter of the building,” my principal said minutes before my middle school graduation ended. Questions immediately ran through my head: What is a federal officer, and what does that even mean?
I ignored my principal’s words and focused on what was supposed to be a celebration: my graduating class’s special day. This was probably one of the last moments I felt truly at peace for many reasons. After that day, I was afraid my parents were going to get detained. The first major ICE raid of 2025 was at the Ambiance store and coincidentally, my parents parked in front of the store when ICE was conducting this raid on June 6, 2025.
As of April 4, there were about 60,000 people in ICE detention.
The first major lesson ICE taught me was that everything can change in one moment. One of my friends walked past me after graduation and said, “Take care of your mom.” I looked at her, confused. I asked her why, and she said, “ICE is a couple of blocks away from us.” I was baffled. I asked her, “What is that?” She responded, “La migra,” and I immediately understood from her facial expression. “La migra” is a term used in the Hispanic community to refer to immigration authorities.
I was panicked after hearing those words. I ran to see where my parents were, and I saw that they were fine. My mom didn’t believe that ICE was around the block. She had not seen immigration officers since immigrating to the U.S. herself. However, as many parents realized that ICE was near the school, children panicked, and staff tried to stay calm.
ICE was a group that many parents and school staff didn’t want to see because so many parents attending the graduation were undocumented. The department’s primary purpose is to detain and deport immigrants for crossing the border illegally.
The school sent a staff member to check where ICE was to pinpoint where parents should avoid. My parents and I did a quick prayer with my mom’s friend, who accompanied them to my middle school graduation. We realized our car was parked right in front of the store that was being raided. We saw many people lined up with their hands up. We quickly got into the car and drove off.
ICE has taught me the importance of appreciating selfless people who help during tough times. When ICE activity increased around my neighborhood, I had to rely on my neighbor’s wife to help me buy groceries. She would drive me to the grocery store, and I learned how to pick fresh produce, but also to appreciate my neighbor’s act of kindness.
ICE has also taught me to be more emotionally mature. I’ve learned the importance of appreciating those around me because ICE did not take over my life, and I never let it consume me with fear. I am not over what I have felt mentally for the past couple of months. There were times I couldn’t sleep because I was scared of losing my parents, but I have kept my head high because I believe my family will be fine. ICE has not taken over my life.
