San Jose teen gripped by worry over threat of ICE arrest, deportation ...0

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

A trip to Walmart used to be a routine errand for Joshua’s family – a quick, simple stop for household essentials or groceries. But with ICE standing guard at places that Latino families frequent, everyday outings have become filled with fear and risk, forcing San Jose high school students like Joshua into responsibilities their parents usually would have handled.

The nearby big-box store “was crawling with ICE, so we couldn’t go there for a while,” he said, describing one adjustment. Joshua, 18, whose name Mosaic has changed to protect his family, was born in the United States and thus has birthright citizenship. But his parents and grandparents do not. Now, to protect them, he’s become the primary driver for the family.

As a child of undocumented immigrants, Joshua has always been aware that his family might get deported. But since the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, began arresting and imprisoning immigrants in neighborhoods and commercial areas in San Jose in late January, he’s had to deal with his worst fear potentially becoming reality.

“It’s scary knowing that my parents could just disappear, and I won’t know what happened to them until I hear it from the authorities,” he said.

Helplessness and stress are among the emotions teens like Joshua are experiencing amid the daily threat of ICE raids.

“It’s just a lot of anxiety because they’re my parents,” he said. “We’ve just been scared. I’ve been scared, like if someone pulls over one of my parents on the freeway, or on their way to work.”

But despite the emotional turmoil, Joshua said reaching out for mental health support isn’t an option.

“I don’t want people knowing that my parents are immigrants because it just feels like that will draw attention.”

According to Silver Creek High School social worker Kayla Marshall, many teens keep their struggles to themselves.

“I think there is a narrative around being unsure of who on campus is safe,” she said. As schools, “we get federal money and state money, so certain students might just feel more or less comfortable talking about their immigration status with people that they don’t know.”

Marshall is one of two social workers serving the 2,100-student high school.

Heather Malin, a therapy intern working at two high schools in the San Jose Unified School District, said that while schools have many resources available, students might struggle with a lack of direction.

“There’s visible concern and awareness about keeping students safe,” she said.. “I think what might be missing is that if there are resources, they’re hard to find. It’s hard to know where to look.”

High school student Joshua agrees that support isn’t publicized well enough.

“If there is any support, I don’t know, so they feel nonexistent,” he said.

Marshall, of Silver Creek, said schools are in a tough position. “As the federal regulations change every day, school staff are kind of deciding each moment: Are they going to do what is legal versus do what is right? Sometimes, it’s not going to be the same,” she said.

In addition to having social workers, therapists and counselors on campus, many San Jose schools lean on the Bill Wilson Center to provide students and their families with mental health support.

The organization provides housing, mental health services, and other programs for youth in Santa Clara County. Aubrey Mastrangelo, its behavioral health division director, works with clients ages 16 to 24. Many of them have expressed confusion and anxiety about the threat of deportation, even if they themselves are not vulnerable.

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“The worry sort of overtakes a lot of other things. Obviously we can’t wave a magic wand and say, ‘Oh, don’t worry, nothing will happen,’ because we don’t know,” she said. Instead, counselors try to help clients balance problems and solve some of them. “We’re also just helping them have tools to cope with their worry.”

The center provides support for mental health struggles and offers resources to cope with an encounter with ICE, like legal consultations and contingency planning.

“Let’s say something happened, and Dad was suddenly gone. What things would you need to have in place that’ll just help you feel a little more reassured?” Mastrangelo said, describing how staff might help a client form a contingency plan.

It’s distressing to consider family life suddenly upended.

“I just want people to know that it’s so drastic that my parents have a plan if they get detained by ICE and deported,” he said.

As federal activity escalates in San Jose and around the country, Mastrangelo said it’s important not to neglect youth mental health. If families have experienced growing up in an environment where things don’t feel safe and secure because a parent or a loved one might be deported at any minute, she said, “the ramifications can be seen long beyond that, into young adulthood and adulthood.”

Nanki Kaur is a senior at American High School in Fremont.

Local mental health resources

Bill Wilson Center – San Jose 1671 The Alameda #201, San Jose, CA 95126 (408) 243-0222 www.billwilsoncenter.org

Rapid Response Network Hotline (408) 290-1144

Mental Health Resources for Undocumented People immigrantsrising.org

San Jose City College Support Programs Advocacy Leadership for Immigrant Support Services sjcc.edu/students/support-programs/almass.aspx

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