Trump Targets Sanctuary City Citizens and Resources
18-year-old Cross student Esdras Zabaleta-Ramirez detained by ICE
By: Cayla Stanton
After the current Trump Administration’s inauguration in January 2025, their policies have been aggressively implemented to increase immigration enforcement, border protection, and defund humanitarian resources. Their anti-immigrant campaign has fostered a sense of hate for the “other,” and a rise in nationalism.
Recently our own city of New Haven has been one of these targets. An 18-year-old Wilbur Cross student, Esdras Zabaleta-Ramirez, was detained by ICE while working at a local car wash. Additionally, the IRIS New Haven office has closed down due to lack of federal funding. These attempts to harm the immigrants in our city have spread fear amongst the community.
Mariano Lopez, a 17-year-old Co-op student, spoke about his experience being a first-generation American from Mexican heritage: “I saw the news about how they found Esdras, and that really scares me. I don’t want to be targeted because I’m Hispanic and speak Spanish in public.”
Lopez also shared his growing worry for his parents and their safety. Despite being a U.S. Citizen, Lopez doesn’t feel safe with the racism circling his community.
A recent Supreme Court decision has reversed a ruling from lower courts that barred immigration agents from stopping individuals with no reasonable suspicion and relying on factors like race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or working at a stereotypical job site like a car wash or agricultural site. Currently, this ruling will only take effect in Southern California. However, decisions like this set a precedent for other courts around the country. This discrimination is what Lopez fears, because it doesn’t target all immigrants but is directed to impact just one specific race. The blatant racism that our government allows is highly concerning.
An anonymous source provided an example of the racism directed at Hispanics becoming normalized. She shared her experiences traveling on the city bus to work, where she would get dirty looks and people put their bags on the seat next to them to prevent her from sitting down. At first, she felt hurt because she did not understand why the people on the bus were acting racist towards her. But now, the treatment is so regular she grew to accept it. “The injustices done to us immigrants make it difficult to live,” she explained. “We don’t receive medical insurance and aren’t given the same rights as everyone else but we work twice as hard. We pay taxes and support the economy but no work permits.”
Those in support of ICE and strict border protection argue that those who come here illegally are dangerous and deportations improve public safety. An anonymous 31-year-old white male explained: “They come from countries filled with drugs and violence, there is no place for that here in America. If you are here illegally, you have no right to receive the benefits us actual citizens do.” Those in support of Trump’s policies feel that despite the majority of immigrants who work hard for their families harmlessly, the small minority of violent criminals present in this group suggest that all immigrants must be deported.
The stories of Lopez, Zabaleta-Ramirez, and countless others in New Haven highlight the devastating human cost of policies that criminalize immigrant communities. While supporters of Trump’s agenda claim these measures protect public safety, there are better ways of acting on these policies than promoting racial profiling, fear, and injustice. Immigrants are not faceless threats. They are our neighbors, workers, and students whose lives enrich our city. If we allow prejudice to guide policy, we lose our values of equality and compassion that bind our communities together.