This post was updated May 27 at 12:33 a.m.

Kaiala Siale fears for her friends’ safety when they walk down the street together.

The digital multimedia broadcast production student lives in Westwood and attends Santa Monica College – where she learned through social media that a fellow student was detained and deported this month by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Siale, who is a child of Tongan immigrants, said someone she knew personally – an international student at SMC – also had their visa revoked.

“I am a U.S. citizen, but I know at the end of the day, my people aren’t welcomed here,” Siale said. “It’s a constant fear that we’re going to have to be interrogated by police or undercover ICE agents just because of the way that we look and the languages we speak.”

ICE has detained students from colleges and universities across the U.S. in 2025, including legal permanent residents and student visa holders. Over 1,000 international students at U.S. colleges and universities also had their legal status terminated and reinstated in April by the federal government, according to the Associated Press.

According to The Corsair, SMC’s student newspaper, the student detained in early May was taken by ICE while walking to a study session just blocks away from campus.

Siale said although she believes SMC’s campus is safe, students – both there and in Westwood – are at risk when they leave.

“It’s like once we leave this campus, that safety is no longer iterated,” Siale added. “It’s no longer there anymore.”

SMC is a member of the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program, which helps honors students gain priority admission to the UCLA College of Letters and Science and several other schools in the university. It also sends more transfer students to the UC than any other community college, according to the UC Information Center.

Alan, a UCLA student and former SMC student who was granted partial anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said he learned about the SMC student’s detainment from other current and transfer students reacting to the incident on social media.“It (the student body’s response) was kind of between apathetic and other people being horrified that it might happen,” he said. “I was horrified that it might happen at UCLA as well.”

SMC’s main campus is around 3.5 miles from UCLA. A UCLA spokesperson said in a written statement that the UCLA Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars – which provides international students with visa services and support – is not aware of any current ICE activity on the university’s campus.

Jeffrey Chobanian, the acting captain of the UCLA Police Department’s administrative bureau, also said in a written statement that the department has no knowledge of any incidents involving ICE near UCLA. UCPD officers cannot detain, question or arrest people solely on the basis of their immigration status, according to the UC’s FAQs for employees regarding federal immigration enforcement.

However, UCPD officers are not allowed to restrict each other from sending an individual’s immigration orcitizenship status to ICE and other government agencies, according to the department’s policy. Administrators also said UCLA would not inform students via BruinAlert if ICE were on campus – and would only be in a position to do so after officers left – according to minutes obtained by the Daily Bruin from a meeting between Undergraduate Students Association Council officers and administrators.

[Related: Students who had visas revoked were previously arrested, USAC meeting reveals]

Arbaz Hasan, a former SMC student, said he was disappointed about the detainment and believes it is unfair to apprehend people without warning. Hasan added that he believes government leaders and college administrators should speak publicly in support of students who are unable to protect themselves.

An SMC spokesperson said in an emailed statement that students and employees are undergoing training for what to do in the event of future ICE presence. They added in the statement that while the college “cannot speculate on future incidents/encounters in this unprecedented moment in history,” SMC will continue to support students regardless of their immigration status or national origin.

Alan said he does not believe UCLA’s current administration has taken proactive action to protect immigrant students. He added that he believes UCLA sends out mass emails and resources to preserve its reputation, not help students at risk.

“It’s just sending emails to communicate, but it’s not doing anything,” Alan said. “It’s not enough.”

Contributing reports from Alexandra Crosnoe and Sam Mulick, Daily Bruin staff.