The first two months of 2025 have been overwhelming for most people, regardless of political affiliation. I know for me, there is an all-consuming feeling of drowning every time I decide to do just about anything.
Like most college students, I am guilty of being chronically online. I am constantly looking to social media as a form of entertainment, inspiration and mindless action. Though recently, my social media feed has been overflowing with political updates.
Just last week, the official White House social media accounts posted an autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) video that was showing off the immigration process in a way that presented it as something trendy. The video included the caption, “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight,” and had video of people in chains being escorted onto a plane. The video was not only disturbing but inhumane.
I think it is important to be aware of what is going on, but when every other post is about President Donald Trump trying to end birthright citizenship and push out more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, I start to worry for my community even when there is nothing I can do at that moment to help.
There is also the feeling of having a role to fill. I work in a newsroom, and as a reporter I am constantly consuming news. Working with The Collegian has allowed me to be well-versed in all of the news that pertains to Fresno State and my fellow students.
That being said, I am hyper-aware of the fact that many of the students here at Fresno State are children of immigrants. Being a Central Valley school, Fresno State is made up of over 59% Hispanic or Latino students.
The same can be said about every other school I have ever attended growing up. I come from a very small and predominantly Mexican community, and I myself am Mexican-American.
During this time all I can do is feel for all the people I grew up with. Right now, many of my friends are afraid for not only their safety, but their families as well.
In my hometown of Planada, with a population of under 4,000 people, my community is outside with their families protesting. My heart swells with pride for my people, but it also breaks at the fact that we have to resort to this. My community has to defend their right to live in the country they have served and loved throughout their life and throughout their family’s lives.
I am concerned when it comes to all of the children in my town who rely on government-funded programs. I have always had free lunch growing up because my community is full of kids who would easily go without food otherwise.
Similar can be said about some of my close friends who are only able to afford the pursuit of higher education with the help of government assistance. College is a privilege that is slowly becoming a necessity which is scary, especially when you are facing the fact that you could have that taken from you.
Every day I continue to see people I know spreading awareness about potential ICE raids, and my heart aches. It aches for my family, my friends and all of their family that helped raise me.
I understand that social media is something that can quickly become something that does more harm than good for my mental health so I try not to doom-scroll often, but even without it, all of these things linger in my brain.
Whether I am at school or at work, I am hearing about these policies that, even though they don’t always directly affect me, affect so many people. With that understanding comes the knowledge that there is not very much I can do.
I go to protests, I spread information and I write articles like this; but what if even after all that I have done, none of that works?
There is so much nuance that encompasses these policies that people on the outside of it do not understand. This also makes it hard to explain because no matter how hard you push for people to be educated on these concerns, there will always be someone fighting for the other side.
Working in a newsroom is one of the greatest experiences, but at times like this, information becomes so much more constant. I want to read all of my peers’ stories but that would mean consuming a large amount of media in a shockingly short amount of time.
Having the privilege of being so informed and surrounded by people who are always looking for as much information as possible, is both incredible and all-consuming.
I have always been an anxious person growing up so simply not thinking about it is not an option for me, especially when it comes to figuring out how to help the people I love. I am trying to find a balance between caring and making myself crazy.
It is so much easier said than done.
