Immigration policies and deportations recently established by President Donald Trump could affect Sam Houston State University students.
SHSU is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, with the population group making up 27% of the student body, according to the U.S Department of Education.
Some of the recent immigration policies include asylum restrictions, temporary protection status revocation for countries like Venezuela and increased immigration enforcement, which impacts a significant percentage of the immigrant community. These policies can affect not only students themselves, but also their families and close friends.
“These recent events, personally, they scare me,” said Dayna Ramirez, a full-time SHSU student of Mexican descent. “They scare me especially because I have an immigrant father who is here legally but might still be at risk.”
Sam Houston State students have shown support for the impacted communities, uniting to protest deportations earlier this month in downtown Huntsville.
“Foreign students have always existed,” SHSU professor of political science Robert Biles said. “The biggest thing right now is the uncertainty students have.”
Biles also spoke on how immigration policies have historically been a problem for foreign and international students, noting that students need better support, especially with financial aid.
“I hate to see us adding problems that students don’t need to deal with,” Biles added. “There’s enough with just going to school.”
Foreign-born individuals represent 14% of the U.S. population—a near 50 million habitants, according to the Pew Research Center. Houston is home to over a million Hispanics, based on census data from 2023, and roughly half of these individuals are immigrants.
The immigrant community in Houston organized a protest on Feb. 2, where thousands of individuals voiced their discontent with recent immigration challenges.
“I attended because many of my friends and coworkers are scared for the life they have worked so hard for,” said Paula Perez, a Colombian immigrant living in Houston. “It was a very peaceful protest. We just wanted to show that we are not giving up.”
