By Juliana Vasquez | Staff Writer
As deportations and protests persist in Minneapolis, Baylor students are joining the growing national conversation over immigration policy and its local impact.
On Jan. 24, U.S. citizen Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents while protesting, according to ABC News. Pretti is the second fatality that has occurred in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents this month, sparking a new wave of dialogue regarding immigration policies and enforcement.
For students from border towns like Brownsville junior Rebeca Alanis, the increase in border patrol agents isn’t new; however, the impact of current policies is showing up in the businesses surrounding the area.
Alanis, who worked as a waitress at a local Mexican restaurant, said she went from serving eight tables to two or three, and that the businesses around the restaurant also suffered.
“Other businesses, more Mexican restaurants, had to start closing because they didn’t have enough staff, their owners got deported or they got detained,” Alanis said.
Dr. Patrick Flavin, chair of the political science department, said immigration is an issue that affects a broad range of areas of students’ lives.
“What’s going on in Minnesota at the moment is an issue that’s constantly on the news, on social media,” Flavin said. “[It’s] more direct to students if they have family or friends who are immigrants, especially if they’re undocumented immigrants.”
Discussions on campus are generally viewed through a highly partisan lens, Flavin said, which increases political polarization among students.
“How people view what happened is very much through the political or partisan lens almost immediately after each of the U.S. citizens were killed by ICE agents, and there were competing narratives about who was to blame,” Flavin said.
Alanis noticed this divide on campus and was disheartened that Baylor seemed to embrace what she views as hateful language.
“I think it’s really sad, especially here at Baylor, hearing some people be kind of proud about the fact that they voted for this,” Alanis said. “It makes me sad just because our whole thing is Christian values.”
Flavin said immigration is a political issue where religion is utilized in civil discourse. Flavin sees this dialogue playing out in Minneapolis, where church leaders are leading some of the peaceful protests.
“I think it’s fair to say, whatever denomination of Christianity, the welcoming of the stranger and the immigrant is part of that creed,” Flavin said.
Although Minneapolis is thousands of miles away from Waco, Flavin said students are likely joining the discussion now because what’s happening in Minnesota today could be happening in Waco tomorrow.
“What’s happening in Minnesota could play out in other parts around the country, whether you’re an immigrant or not,” Flavin said. “I mean, the two people that were killed were U.S. citizens who were demonstrating.”
As the discussion continues to unfold, Alanis said she hopes students view the issue with empathy.
“You have to view it with a sense of empathy because you don’t know what someone’s going through,” Alanis said. “It isn’t until you sit with someone one-on-one and really get to hear their perspective, you really don’t know … what it took for them to get here.”
