Immigration isn’t always part of everyday campus conversations, especially at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Between classes, work, social life, and racial barriers, it’s easy to feel far removed from what’s happening outside our university bubble. Yet U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and detainments in Louisiana are impacting communities that many students are directly connected to, whether through family, friends, or communities we call home. In Louisiana alone, ICE has detained more than 7,000 people.
These detentions occurred in various ways, such as home visits, traffic stops, and workplace raids. Many people were taken while completing everyday tasks, just like the rest of us. Families are being repeatedly torn apart, and lives are being destroyed.Â
Detainees are being taken and housed in facilities with horrible conditions here in the state. Louisiana is home to nine ICE detention centers, most only two hours outside of Baton Rouge, LA. These facilities are reported to be cramped, with little to no running water, and filled with mold and diseases. The worst is Angola Prison. According to the Louisiana Illuminator, the state of Louisiana receives around $950,000 to house detainees in a formerly closed wing of the prison now known as “Camp J” which was reopened in September of 2025. Many of these detainees are working, everyday people who have never seen the inside of a prison and are now being subjected to the traumas and suffering of imprisonment.Â
Despite what many think, these raids aren’t happening far from us. Just this past month, three Louisiana State University students were unlawfully detained and arrested. Two of these arrests happened at off-campus apartments near campus. This fact alone should force us out of our bubble of ignorance. Most of us Southern University students live in these same apartment buildings. If not, many of us spend our time with friends who attend predominantly white institutions and are exposed to these events. Hypothetically, this could have been your friend or even roommate. Thus, there should be some solidarity present.Â
Immigration isn’t just a political issue happening “somewhere else”; it happens daily in our own communities and impacts our people. Whether you know an immigrant personally or not, they have long shaped Louisiana’s culture and economy. From local businesses to infrastructure, food, and music, Latinx contributions are seen everywhere. We, as HBCU students, don’t have to be activists to make a difference. Whether you know someone suffering from the influence of ICE or not, staying informed and knowing what resources are available is important. Use social media to share information with those who may not know what’s happening. You can even join protests and gatherings that are happening daily around various Louisiana cities.Â