Organizations support students from Boulder County, against the background of immigration application fears

Ariande, a bud from Fairview High School, now has more worried than navigating high school, where she has focused on making friends and keeping notes while working for her parents cleaning.

The 15-year-old, who asked to use only the middle name to protect her parents, is worried that she and her 5-year-old could arrive with alien family members or could be divided into maternal assistance if her parents without documents are detained or deported. The complication of the problem is that both Ariade and her sister are in the spectrum of autism. Her sister has a more significant impact and receives therapy.

“I need my parents in my life,” said Ariade. “It scares me that they will be taken while I am at school. If something happens I will take care of my sister. I have always searched for my sister. If I have to get three jobs I will do that. I am very good to work. I will do anything for my family. “

Her mother participated in Boulder High when she moved to Boulder 15 years after being raped to Mexico, while her father came to the United States to escape violence in Mexico. While they are dismayed by the direction of a country, they once considered the “promised country”, they said, they still feel relatively safe in Boulder-despite the promises by the Trump administration of deportations.

“We are trying not to get out of the boulder,” said Ariande’s mother. “We feel we have to hide when we are in other places. Don’t feel the confidence. I feel that Boulder is one of the safest places to be immigrant. “

I also receive support from Boulder Family Learning Centerwhich offers early development programs of early childhood, after school, summer and family. Many of the families served by the center live in the Housing Complex accessible in San Juan del Centro nearby or in nearby mobile houses.

“They give you information and protect you and listen to you,” said Ariade. “I love children and the community. They always help us. It’s a really special place. “

The executive director of the Family Learning Center, Brenda Lyle, said the staff members met with families as soon as the deportation rumors began. The center helps families to create individual plans to follow for their children if parents are detained by immigration application agencies. Because it is not only people without documents that have been raised, she said, the center also encourages adults to wear documents, such as visas and work permits at any time.

As part of this work, the Center hosted a six -week program for families in collaboration with Boulder’s El centro amistadGiving families a place to talk about their fears, rights and plans for tutelage for children if they are detained, including the provision of a notary to register on the guardianship forms.

“We have spent a lot of time creating safety plans for our families,” Lyle said. “The more you have a plan for your family, the less fear you have. The idea of ​​all these things is to create fear. Cruelty is the idea. “

Another organization supporting students and families, “I have a dream base” of Boulder CountyHe saw some students initially participated in programs rarely, out of fear, that they will meet law enforcement or ice agents during their journey in school programs or in field trips.

The main director, Travis Herbert, said that the presence is returning to the normal level, although students still feel the stress on the changes that are implemented by the Trump administration. “I Have a Dream” works with low -income students in Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley, offering after school programs and mentors from elementary school to high school, plus additional support in college.

“Whenever uncertainty becomes part of our daily experience, especially for vulnerable populations, has an impact,” said Herbert. “The uncertainty seems to be a common theme we hear. It is difficult to know what some of the field policies mean and how the students and families we work with will be affected. “

He said that the members of the staff and mentors check-in, one-to-one, more often with the 500 extra students in the program. The organization also offers free therapy sessions for staff members to help them process what is happening.

„Our job no. 1 is to learn and create a positive learning environment for students to learn and grow, ”he said. “We want to have a positive environment for young people to come daily after school, where there are trusted adults with whom they can talk about what is happening in their lives. These after school programs are as valuable, especially at times as they are. In periods of uncertainty and stress, it is important not to lose the ability to dream of your future. “

The officials of the Boulder Valley school district have refused to comment on whether the threats regarding the application of immigration had an impact on the presence or if the district offers accommodation to students who are scared to attend school. The district asked the schools to direct any requests for the application of immigration to his legal lawyer.

Following Trump’s elections, the December School Council also approved an resolution Reiteration of support for students “regardless of race, gender identity, legal status or any other factor.” In the resolution, the Board of Directors shared that the school district will “do everything in its legal power to protect our students and families.”

The measures listed in the resolution include the continuation not the collection or maintenance of information about the immigration status of their students or their families, managing all requests from immigration officials and protecting all students against discrimination, harassment, intimidation and hate discourse.

St. Vrain Valea officials declared that they did not see an impact on the presence. The district offered guidance to the schools on the protocol to follow if the immigration agents appear at a school, but refused to provide details about this guidance.

Together with the help of students and families worried about the potential immigration application, said Lyle, the family learning center works with other local organizations on a plan to approach the potential federal level changes. Concerns include Medicaid budget discounts, impact on students receiving special education services, head starts, threats to retain federal funding in school districts and potential changes to Pell College subsidies with great financial need.

“As a community, we have to start asking what we can do,” she said. “We don’t have much control over what is happening in Washington, DC, but as a community we need a plan. I want to do this for our children. “

The family learning center is planning a series of community events, she said, including a meeting next week for educators and young providers to talk about how to respond to the potential impact.

“We really try to figure out how we will help our children survive in this universe in 2025,” she said. “Each profit, we are all together.”

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Originally published: March 16, 2025 at 9:15 am MDT