ICE HAS been a very controversial topic for many people throughout the United States, and it seems that people only begin to care when it starts affecting them. The whole situation has been extremely unfair, with kids fearing for their families. Being scared of one day coming home from school while their parents are nowhere to be found.
Ernesto Carranza (12) was a student at Granger High recently targeted by ICE officers. He said that it all happened early in the morning while he was driving himself and his friend to school. Everything was normal until he noticed a car following them. They flashed their lights as if they were police, and he pulled over, thinking he was getting a ticket. As soon as he hit the brakes, the car pulled in front of him, and he saw officers in black vests exit the car and surround them. They asked him for his ID, and he gave it to them. After that, they arrested him, took him, and deported him.
After that, they found his dad by tracking his plates while he was on his way to work. His dad was then deported as well. Now they are in Mexico, working in construction, waiting for when they can bring him back to the US. “I was scared and sad, but my family tells me not to worry that things happen for a reason,” Carranza said. What happened to Carranza was unfair. He’s a great student who cares a lot about his education. He said he was sad mostly because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to graduate now that he’s in Mexico. He said he worked so hard for all his credits so he could be at graduation. But thanks to the situation, which became extremely complicated.
Dakaray Solis Garduza (12) is one of Carranza’s friends. “I miss him; he was always super nice, and we talked a lot in our photography class,” she said. He was always talking to her in class, and they were always working together on projects. “We would never stop talking,” Solis Garduza said. They always had fun in class, and he taught her what it was like to have a good friend she could trust and confide in. Things are different now, though that he’s gone. She hopes that she’ll see him again one day.
Carranaza is only one of the many students affected by these ICE raids. Although this is a sensitive topic, it is important to discuss it and share these classmates’ stories because this could happen to any high school student. These actions are not talked about enough. What happened to Carranaza was completely unfair; he shouldn’t have been kidnapped from the street while driving his car. He shouldn’t be in Mexico. He should be here at Granger finishing his credits so he can walk at graduation with the rest of the class of 2026.
