One month following President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office, student responses to federal and state immigration enforcement policies highlight a renewed sense of collaboration. Advocating for immigrant communities on campus and those in greater Austin means building relationships to meet evolving needs, UT student organizations said.
While originally focused on creating welcoming activities for Hispanic immigrants and refugees in Austin, Juntos, an organization dedicated to supporting the immigrant community, recently shifted to connecting people with immigration law experts and legal information, said the organization’s vice president Silvana Quenaya.
“Having people who have resources, have time, can help (and) can be there is really important,” said Juntos president Julián Munévar Niño, an economics and government senior.
The organization — named Juntos, meaning “together” in Spanish — is partnered with Dove Springs Proud, a local community group serving the residents of the predominantly Hispanic and Latinx neighborhood of Dove Springs in Southeast Austin.
The organization prioritizes sharing resources for neighborhood residents, and creating youth programs like a scholarship fund for potential UT applicants, said Quenaya, an advertising senior.
As international students, Quenaya and Niño were each other’s first friends at UT. Their stories converged when bonding over the challenges of acclimating to American culture.
After connecting with the Rooted Collective, a group dedicated to working with undocumented and temporary-status students, Quenaya said she gained a greater perspective on the differing levels of support available for international students when compared to undocumented or temporary-status students.
“For students that are not under a visa they don’t have that help,” Quenaya said. “They don’t have an office they can go to.”
Ultimately, Juntos’ mission is to “celebrate” unity in the Latinx community, regardless of immigration status.
“We really want to work towards celebrating who we are because in times like this, it’s hard to remember what (brought) us together, what made us who we are,” Quenaya said.
Building cultural awareness is a key priority for the Latina-founded Texas Señoritas sorority. Lauren Carrillo, sorority president and biology senior, said the sorority recently worked with Abri Lumiere, an Austin shelter serving immigrant families who are unhoused and often fleeing violence in their home country.
“Sometimes just being there for the immigrant community means providing fun opportunities for them, or even just sitting down to talk with them,” Carrillo said.
Jackie Nuñez, an early childhood bilingual education sophomore and sorority’s public relations aide, drafted an Instagram statement in support of immigrant communities on the organization’s behalf. She said using her voice to draw attention to the ongoing impact of immigration enforcement policies on families and friends aligned with the sorority’s goals to create space on campus for students to feel comfortable sharing their experiences.
“As students at UT, and as young people, we really do have a lot of power, and there is so much power in the knowledge that we have and in the knowledge that we can spread,” Nuñez said.
Abigail Hinojos, a human biology junior and the sorority’s public relations director, said the organization leadership will continue using their platform to spread awareness for future projects in support of immigrant communities.
“With not only our initiative … people are recognizing that there is a space for these kinds of conversations, campaigns and these kinds of discussions on campus,” Hinojos said.
