A little over a month ago, ICE detained Wilbur Cross High School rising junior Esdras R. at his job, dealing a severe blow to a school community that has been on edge for the past eight months. 

Deportation threats and concern for undocumented relatives have left some members of the Cross community living under constant fear since January. According to sources the News talked to, students fearing ICE have missed school, struggled with mental health, and, in one case, lost their job. 

To address this, Cross administration, educators, and students have worked closely with the New Haven branch of Connecticut Students for A Dream — an immigrants’ rights organization — to create a support system for undocumented students. 

“These are all our students, and I will teach anyone irrespective of their immigration status because I believe in our education system, and I follow the law,” says Cross teacher Maggie Stevens, who has been in education for twenty years with a background working with multilingual students. 

The toll on students

Melany Yunga, a Cross senior and a member of C4D since her sophomore year, has seen the effects of nationwide mass deportations firsthand. She told the News over a Zoom meeting that some students at risk of deportation are “not sleeping and eating well,” translating into “poor academic and work performance.”

One student she knows struggled with depression after losing his job because “he didn’t perform well at work.” The student had relatives who he feared would be arrested by ICE.

School attendance has also been affected. “You could see a difference in classes from when this happened,” Yunga said, referring to a period of time in February, when ICE deportations ramped up nationwide. “You could just see it from a 15 student class that dropped down to five or three.” 

Stevens confirmed this trend during an in-person interview with the News. She had students last school year who “specifically stated that they were not coming to school because of fears of immigration officers.” One student “stopped attending school regularly” from January until June, she said.

These students voluntarily disclosed their immigration status to her, she said.

Stevens, whose ex-husband was undocumented when she married him, said that the emotional impact on these students is “undeniable.” “I’ve felt this too myself in my own personal family, that level of stress and anxiety. There’s just no guarantee for what’s going to happen in the future,” she said.

Cross and C4D offer support and resources

Cross administration has a strong support network for immigrant students, partly owing to Cora Munoz, the assistant principal, who has been a “fierce advocate” and serves as the liaison between Cross and C4D, according to Stevens.

C4D works closely with Cross to lead “Know Your Rights” workshops. Yunga has helped lead workshops during the school day. “Teachers bring their homeroom classes to the auditorium and we did presentations there,” Yunga said. 

Yunga has also worked with teachers to hang up “Know Your Rights” posters in their classrooms. Students have been able to get access to this information on weekly school announcements too, according to Stevens. 

In her own classroom, Stevens supports students who need emotional support by having “a conversation with the students, and then, I ask their permission to refer them to mental health services here at school.” Furthermore, she points students to a districtwide letter sent by the Superintendent Dr. Madeline Negrón on Jan. 28 outlining the steps to ensure their safety while at school. 

For legal services and resources, Stevens refers her students to C4D, because “they are the experts.” “I see my job as a conduit to resources because I’m a trusted individual for those kids,” she said. 

The community must “keep pushing”

Yunga encourages more of her peers to advocate for undocumented students’ rights. “Families are being separated. Kids are suffering,” Yunga said, “teenagers should be aware of this and more people should be fighting.”

Because “everything became more harsh” after Cross senior Esdras’ arrest last month, Yunga vows to “do more presentations” to reach more of her peers. 

Yenimar Cortes, the New Haven organizer at C4D, urges students to “keep pushing” because “community organizing and solidarity is what will help build power to make real changes for our community.” The News interviewed her over text. 

“The students give me hope,” said Stevens. “It’s my love for my students that propels me to keep fighting for more equity and more spaces where people can be accepted regardless of their citizenship or their immigration status.” 

Wilbur Cross High School is located at 181 Mitchell Drive. 

This article was written for the Yale Daily News’ 2025 Summer Journalism Program for high school students.