Today, it is my community at risk. Tomorrow, it could be yours.

Monica Vera, Contributing Writer

One of the most charming aspects of the United States of America is the immense diversity. There is a unique culture behind every individual and family, and the U.S. is a place where those cultures get the opportunity to connect. 

Our country was founded on a notion of giving people the chance to find better opportunities, so why are we throwing that aim away now?

Growing up, I was taught that the most essential principles of the U.S. Constitution were the amendments that guarantee our freedom, liberty and individuality. However, it appears the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies are moving the U.S. farther and farther away from those principles. It is heartbreaking to realize Hispanic families like mine are being treated as if we are unwanted in the country we call home. 

This reality hit even harder when the Supreme Court decided to lift restrictions on immigration enforcement’s practices in June, combatting a ruling made in a lawsuit filed after three men were unreasonably arrested near a Pasadena bus stop. 

According to the lawsuit, The arrests were targeted — the men complied with officers and confirmed their citizenship but were profiled as immigrants and detained regardless. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled in favor of the men in July, determining that stops and searches in Southern California could no longer be based on race or language and required reasonable suspicion. 

Despite this, Trump’s administration filed an emergency request that put a hold on the ruling and allowed the case to go to the Supreme Court. In early September, the initial decisions were overruled with little explanation. Federal officers were once again allowed to racially profile in Southern California, and the ruling makes it easier for other states to follow suit.

Communities like mine know all too well what these practices look like: discrimination disguised as law enforcement.

I have always been proud to say my immigrant parents built a stable life for me and my siblings by sacrificing much of themselves during their journey. I have never hesitated to celebrate my cultural traditions or raise my voice when needed. But with this Supreme Court decision, my confidence has begun to waver. Expressing my cultural identity feels less like a celebration and more like a risk. 

The ruling, combined with the Trump administration’s ever-increasing federal pressure to deliver on deportation quotas, has shot fear through every immigrant community in America, but especially my own Hispanic community. Detention means silence, no communication with your loved ones and even uncertainty of your survival. Many are dragged through the unknown and forced to abandon everything they have ever built — families are torn apart, uncertain if they will ever reunite. 

If the Supreme Court can ignore the freedoms of thousands, what will stop it from ignoring yours?  

Though ICE is allegedly targeting immigrants with criminal records, everyday people are being caught in the crossfire. The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee every individual protection against unreasonable searches and the right to equal protection under the law. Today, anyone walking the streets of Los Angeles risks unreasonable detention for nothing more than their skin color or the language they are speaking on the phone. 

The U.S. has always been a cultural melting pot. This country was founded on the hopes of achieving big dreams, and was pioneered by those seeking a better future. This freedom means little if it can be stripped away at any moment, and that is the reality we are currently living in. 

I still want to keep believing in my country’s promise, but this alone will not protect me. The change we need can only occur if people stay informed. History has shown that when one group is met with injustice, it doesn’t just stop there. 

Today, it is my community at risk — tomorrow it could be yours.