Students held a protest and vigil outside the Hinson Campus Center on Feb. 11 commemorating people killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since the start of 2026.
The students also urged De Anza College President Omar Torres to take greater action in support of undocumented students.
Participants spent two days prior designing signs in the Higher Education for AB540 Students/Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action centers in the East Cottage before holding the event.
Transcript:
0:01
SANGO LEVONIAN – LA VOZ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR: Students held a vigil and protest outside the Hinson Campus center on Feb. 11 in honor of people killed by Immigration and Custom Enforcement in recent raids by the Trump administration.
0:10
DALI YADIRA GUERRERO FERNANDEZ – HEFAS MEMBER COORDINATOR, VIDA INTERN: In the past month, we’ve lost nine people due to ICE’s cruelty and unconstitutional actions, and we’re also here to back each other up. So to make a statement that us, between students, we’re here to stand with each other, and to also call to action for our administration. So we want President Omar Torres to stand 10 toes behind us.
One of the things that we want is that we want a partnership between the Santa Clara Rapid Response Network. So if you remember a couple of weeks ago when there was that threat to our undocumented students on X going around, students were scared. Not only did this happen within the first weeks of classes, meaning students were scared of going to class, and if you don’t go to class within the first two weeks, you miss class.
From this, we saw no action from our administration. We only saw internal action. So us students had to step up and we were the ones that contacted the Rapid Response Network and had them come .
0:59
LEVONIAN: Shortly after being made aware of the post, president Omar Torres restated De Anza’s protocol, in the event ICE presents itself on campus, in a Message From the President on the school website on Jan. 7.
Since the social media post, many classrooms are labeled non-public areas and ICE on campus protocol posters have been updated. Torres also announced that the district arranged training for faculty and staff regarding Department of Homeland Security activity on school grounds.
1:28
GABE MANGLONA – FA-PAC INTERN: I think the protocol is fine, it’s just that addition to the sign there: even if ICE is breaking the law. At least the way we interpret it, it kind of implies that ICE usually doesn’t break the law.
1:38
SABRINA MOORE – FA-PAC INTERN: Obviously, no one can go out of their way to interfere with ICE and sort of attack them or anything like that. I wouldn’t obviously want anybody to do that, but I do want people to be educated on their rights because I think that the lack of knowledge is being used against citizens and non-citizens, and I think that that is something that is very powerful, having knowledge. And I think that we need to make sure that all of us are educated and know what to do in these situations and know personally what our rights are.
I think that the new thing that I took away from this was just hearing all the different perspectives from the students. I think it was really powerful to hear a lot of people’s personal testimonies to coming to America. We have a lot of students here at De Anza that are international students, undocumented students. My mother immigrated to America, and just these stories really need to be uplifted because the dehumanization that has been happening to people that are being taken by ICE is just completely unethical and should not be happening.
2:34
MANGLONA: If you need red cards or any other materials to support, just help you know what to do when ICE comes by, you can drop by the East cottage. Anyone’s welcome to show up and take resources. You don’t have to be part of HEFAS.
