With President Donald Trump’s new deportation policy spreading uncertainty among undocumented families, Santa Ana officials are taking action to provide support to immigrant communities.
Trump introduced his new deportation policy by signing an executive order to raise the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Established on January 20, 2025, the policy allows for the displacement of undocumented immigrants, sparking concern about family separation, loss of jobs, and anxiety about what the future may hold for them in their hometowns. In response, local leaders are providing resources and helping families navigate these challenges and stay informed about their rights. Among them, the President of the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) Board of Education Hector Bustos, and Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Liaison Blanca Suarez are actively working to ensure the safety of their undocumented community.
Local officials are prioritizing legal awareness to help undocumented families prepare for encounters with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). President of the SAUSD Board of Education Hector Bustos speaks on this topic.
“We’re holding a series of Know Your Rights training in collaboration with immigrant rights organizations like the Orange County Justice Fund to ensure that everybody knows their rights, in case they are confronted by an immigration enforcement official or an immigration enforcement official shows up at their door,” Bustos said.
SAUSD, in partnership with immigrant rights organizations like the Orange County Justice Fund, is hosting Know Your Rights training sessions. These sessions educate undocumented families on how to respond if approached by immigration enforcement officials.
Additionally, schools have implemented training protocols for front office staff, providing them with detailed instructions on handling if an ICE agent arrives at the office.
“We have protocols and systems in place to ensure that our students are safe in our schools and that we’re not collaborating and cooperating with immigration enforcement officials. All of our front office staff have gone through a video series or a video training that tells them, step by step, what they need to do if an ICE agent were to come to the front office,” Bustos said.
FACE Liaison Blanca Suarez expands on the protective immigration resources offered by the district.
“We have red cards, which are the Know Your Rights cards that the district has printed out for every student for everyone, and they are available in different languages. We’ve also been holding Know Your Rights workshops twice a month, and immigration attorneys attend to answer any questions families might have,” Suarez said.
Bustos and Suarez also address the challenges they face in protecting undocumented immigrants in Santa Ana.
“The biggest challenges that we’re facing is battling the misinformation and fear-mongering being done by the President of the United States, by ICE, and even by members of our community. Somebody might see a post on social media saying there is an ICE checkpoint on a certain street when it isn’t true, and that just creates a large sense of fear and panic In our community,” Bustos said.
Misinformation and fear-mongering, whether from the government, ICE, or social media, are significant obstacles. False reports about ICE activity spread quickly, causing unnecessary panic within the community.
“Our families are in such fear that they are scared to join meetings because they don’t want to put their names out there and draw attention to themselves. That’s why we send so many communications through email and Zoom, to still give those parents opportunities for information,” Suarez said.
Bustos highlights the ongoing importance of supporting immigrant communities.
“As a child of immigrants myself, it’s important for me to advocate and do my part to ensure that we are creating a community that is safe for all people, especially our immigrants. Ultimately, it’s our responsibility as leaders in this city to support our constituents. And immigrants are our constituents, whether people like to accept that or not, and so we have a responsibility to them,” Bustos said.
