On Wednesday, students of the San José State chapter of BridgeUSA gathered to talk about the recent actions and presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San José and the rest of the country.

BridgeUSA is an organization that promotes constructive dialogue to improve the quality of politics in the United States and it has 108 chapters on college campuses throughout the country, according to the BridgeUSA website.

Allen Ngo, a fourth-year political science student, said that President Donald J. Trump’s administration’s use of ICE is unjust.

“I definitely think the use of ICE is unconstitutional,” Ngo said. “How they’re punishing them is also unconstitutional because it’s cruel and unusual punishment, which is the Eighth Amendment.”

The Eighth Amendment states that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted, according to the United States Constitution.

Ngo said that the cruel and unusual treatment of detainees goes against the constitution.

The meeting included answering prompts within groups and then sharing opinions, with students holding an open dialogue with differing opinions that were encouraged by student leaders throughout the meeting.

One of the questions included was “How would you characterize these actions by ICE and what are the broader implications?” 

Debarun Mondal, a fourth-year business student, said ICE has unchecked power.

“I think it’s ridiculous, ICE agents have more power and more unrestricting power,” Mondal said.

SJSU students at the meeting such as Samantha Sternstein, a fourth-year communications student, voiced their concerns about ICE and their power, along with criticizing the way in which the Trump administration is using ICE. 

“I think it’s disgusting and it’s inciting violence all over the country,” Sternstein said. “I don’t think that’s a healthy state that we need to be in, it doesn’t show that we’re in a democracy.”

Federal agents use masks to hide their identity, according to the ICE FAQ webpage.

“ICE agents are usually covering their face or hiding their identity in a way and that a lot of the time ICE agents are wearing regular people’s clothes like a t-shirt or flannel, which is what I saw,” Ngo said. 

Masked agents in regular clothes are used to detain victims, according to an April 8, 2025 CNN article. 

Ngo said students are also worried about the increasing presence of ICE in San José.

“Some of the ICE activity that I’ve seen is on Story Road, near the Mexican and Vietnamese side of town,” Ngo said.  

The Rapid Response Network confirmed ICE activity on Story and King Roads, according to a Jan. 26, 2025 article published by KTVU FOX 2. 

The meeting addressed the potential presence of ICE at the Super Bowl and what students thought would happen on Sunday as conflicting reports have come out regarding ICE’s presence.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said ICE would “be all over that place” while the NFL’s Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier said “There are no planned ICE enforcement activities. We are confident of that,” according to an article published by Daily Mail.

“I can understand why people are worried,” Ngo said. “San José is home to a huge immigrant population. I think that ICE being present is very intimidating, even as a documented citizen it is intimidating.”

The presence of ICE in the community has raised questions about what precautions should be installed, with organizations spreading awareness and information about what to do if you are confronted by ICE agents such as Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network, according to the organization’s website. 

“The fact that these precautions are needed and people still feel like their education and their institutions are under threat is pretty crazy,” Sternstein said.

Vice President of the United States JD Vance has previously spoken about how ICE agents have “absolute immunity,” which he has since backtracked creating confusion among communities, according to a Youtube Short by the New York Times. 

Students in discussions urge that safety from ICE is of the utmost importance.

“The immigrant community here is one that is willing to stick up for each other,” Sternstein said. “We don’t welcome those kinds of agents into our lives.”