OPINION: “Nunca vencidos” Hispanic culture won’t be defeated by ICE threats

There is no doubt that Hispanic Heritage Month feels heavier this year. Our community is actively under attack. It feels as though every single day a new headline details the continued suffering of our communities. 

On Sept. 13, in what the Department of Homeland Security describes as a “major victory,” the US Supreme Court ruled to allow ICE agents to consider factors like race, speaking a foreign language, or speaking English with an accent as grounds for immigration stops or raids. On Sept. 15, a Miami Herald investigation was published finding that 800 of the 1,800 detainees from Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention facility in Florida have gone missing after leaving the site. On. Sept. 24, three immigrants were shot at a Dallas ICE facility, one of whom died. On Sept. 25, an ICE officer was caught on camera violently pushing a pleading mother to the ground in front of her already traumatized children. 

These are only some of the incidents that circulated in mainstream media within the first few weeks of Hispanic Heritage Month. Mind you, for every story we do hear, there are thousands of stories we don’t. 

Despite continuous reports of atrocious mistreatment within ICE facilities, thousands of people are signing up to play their part in upholding the systems making this suffering possible. Many of those are the descendants of immigrants themselves. And yes, if you’re in line at these ICE recruitment fairs, I’m judging you for selling your community out. 

Those aiding the actions taken by this administration often argue that being here “illegally” is in and of itself is a crime. This often leads to the conclusion that those who are here without proper documentation are breaking the law, and therefore the government is in its right to deport them to a random country of their choosing or detain them indefinitely without a bond in inhumane conditions. Yet, people are being arrested at their court hearings, at times with the help of the courts. 

Another fearmongering talking point often uttered in support of the atrocities occurring across the country claim that the Trump administration in deporting the criminals. However, CATO Institute reports that between Oct. 1, 2024 and June 14, 2025, 65% of people taken by ICE had no convictions and 93% had no violent convictions. In fact, detainees are teachers, engineers, high school and university students, prominent community organizers, pastors, firefighters and journalists. 

Immigrants are often blamed for economic decline, accused of not paying taxes while draining resources meant for “real Americans.” Beyond the racist undertones of this claim, it is simply false. According to Americans for Tax Fairness, undocumented immigrants contribute to our economy and pay higher tax rates than many major corporations. 

In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in taxes. Immigrants are not the reason you are living paycheck to paycheck. They are not the reason you cannot find affordable housing. The idea that we must fight over scraps while the wealthy grow richer is exactly the outcome they intend when they spread racist, fearmongering narratives like the so-called “invasion” of Hispanic people in the United States. These lies are designed to pit communities against each other, and they are not harmless, their consequences are deadly. 

These lies don’t just poison our politics, they put lives at risk. On August 3, 2019, the Walmart where my mother worked became the site of a mass shooting fueled by anti-immigrant hate. A man drove over 600 miles to target Hispanic people and fulfill his white nationalist manifesto. I couldn’t reach her. For what felt like hours, I didn’t know if she was alive. After incessant calling, I found out that by sheer luck, my mother had called out of work that day. But our community would be haunted forever by the violence fueled by hate and fear. The language we use matters, it has consequences. 

If you are actively participating in systems that target marginalized members of society because you think it’ll help you assimilate or get you better treatment know this: it won’t  protect you from the consequences of these systemic and policy failures. Being an ICE officer, a paycheck or proximity to “power,” will not spare you from the detriments of a system built to benefit the ultra-rich at the expense of the rest of us. As written by J.C. Frias, “Some of y’all assimilated so hard you forgot where you came from.” Blaming immigrants, trans people, or communities of color for problems created by policy failures is a trap. One this administration exploits to uphold white, Christian nationalist agendas. Even those who profit from this system, or believe themselves safe from it, are still harmed by the structures they perpetuate. 

I know firsthand there is another path. I am lucky enough I was raised by strong women who took pride in our roots. Growing up, my abuela Carmen was a fierce advocate and organizer for the Border Network for Human Rights. She, along with my mother, taught me that being a first-generation American citizen is a privilege I should never take lightly and that I have a responsibility to use my voice and my vote to advocate for those in our community affected by violence and inequity. My upbringing and personal experience as the daughter of immigrants inspired my entry into organizing and has guided my work ever since. Today, I am grateful that I can pass down our culture and language to my daughter, so she too can learn about our roots and carry forward the lessons of advocacy, justice, and community care.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, let us honor our history not by remaining silent in the face of injustice, but by standing up for our communities. By defending our neighbors, our families, and our shared humanity. We can reject the lies that divide us, refuse to profit from systems that harm others, and demand accountability from those in power. Our voices, votes, and courage are the tools that can break cycles of fear and oppression.

I am inspired by the generations before me who fought for dignity and justice, and I am committed to raising the next generation to do the same. Our heritage is not just something to celebrate once a year—it is a call to action, a reminder that we are stronger together, and that we will not be complicit in the harm of our own communities. This is our fight, our legacy, and our responsibility. 

El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido.