A new student-led organization, Immig(rines)4Reform, is making waves in the Watkins Mill community by advocating for immigrant rights and providing resources to students. Founded at the start of the school year, the club is led by Vivian Urbina and Tracy Espinoza, who both serve as vice-president. Immig(rines)4Reform operates as a chapter of Students FAIR (For Asylum and Immigration Reform), an organization focused on educating and supporting immigrant communities. The group meets weekly on Thursdays, providing a consistent space for students to discuss pressing issues and organize initiatives.
“I became part of Students FAIR’s student leadership council during the summer, and by doing so, I created my club,” Urbina shared.
Vice President Tracy Espinoza elaborated on the club’s origins and mission, explaining its connection to a larger movement. “I’m the vice president of a larger Montgomery County organization, which is called Students FAIR, so Immig(rines)4Reform is just a chapter of that,” Espinoza said. “A lot of the things we do there on the county level, we bring back to our schools to build community and also just to base-build. We felt that there was a need to start expanding into other schools, and we really wanted to make sure that there was at least some sort of visibility within the student body. Because a lot of times, it can be easy to feel left out and not feel like you have someone to lean on within very difficult moments. So just forming the school chapter of Students FAIR at Watkins Mill made a way that we can socialize with others and connect communities together.”
One of the club’s key focuses has been educating students on distinguishing real from false information regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
“We recently have been talking about how to verify an ICE post,” Urbina explained. “There have been many false claims that ICE has been close or even outside our school. We want students to know when information is valid or not.” To further this effort, the club is planning a Know Your Rights training to ensure students understand legal protections available to them.
Espinoza highlighted the importance of their Know Your Rights initiatives, particularly in response to misinformation. “We’ve been doing different Know Your Rights training. So, within these training sessions, especially when there was a post circulating online about ICE being near Watkins Mill, we pointed out the importance of verification. People see it and get scared, especially if there’s someone who is undocumented that might be a target for ICE. So, we started up our ‘Know Your Rights’ series, and now we’re focusing on how to verify an ICE source.”
The club aims to create a sense of security for immigrant students, especially in light of shifting national policies.
“Many students have become fearful, so it’s important to teach them that they have support and resources,” Urbina emphasized.
To support immigrant rights, Urbina and Espinoza encourage students and community members to stay informed and share accurate information.
“The immigrant community is in panic mode outside and within Watkins Mill. We need to stay calm and help each other,” Urbina said. “We should not be causing fear to others or posting everything we see. Many times, we think we are helping when we are actually hurting our communities. That’s why it’s always important to check before reposting.”
