By Celeste’s heart stopped in the middle of the 105 freeway and she began to pray Psalm 91, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.”
She prayed harder than she ever had in her life, as she noticed two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles drive next to her.
She knew she had to do something more than pray — she wanted to go back to therapy.
“I know there’s a lot of resources and a lot of help, but nothing fulfills that hole that you kind of have and the worry, especially because I’m not even under [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals],” Celeste said. “So I don’t even have that protection or those resources.”
The third-year French and Francophone studies major opted out of sharing her last name out of fear of deportation.
Celeste crossed the southern border with her aunt when she was 1 years old.
After attending six sessions with Counseling And Psychological Services on campus to manage her struggles being a first-generation student, Celeste was redirected to a therapist outside the university if she wanted to continue her therapy.
Donald Trump’s second presidential term has affected students’ mental health on a higher scale, especially undocumented students.
Some turned to mental health resources on campus, including CAPS, while others still feel like the services fall short when it comes to meeting the needs of undocumented students.
“I’m not sure what they could do to help alleviate that level of anxiety,” said a fourth-year electrical engineering major, choosing to remain anonymous for security reasons. “The undocumented community wants a sense of connection. The therapists cannot connect the fact of being undocumented, so they wouldn’t know the struggles and all the stuff that comes with that status.”
While some students are avoiding CAPS for that reason, others like Josiah, a fourth-year information systems major who decided to not give his last name for security reasons, simply can no longer afford it.
Josiah came to the United States under a tourist visa with his parents and older sister when he was 3 years old.
Since finishing his last free session with CAPS during his first year of college, he has relied on the Dream Success Center for resources including immigration services, support and community.
“It was very tough on my mental health, because I didn’t truly understand my circumstances until I got older, and realizing because I don’t have DACA, right?” Josiah said. “That’s when my mental health started to really take a decline, and starting to get worried, starting to get anxious about what I’m going to do with my life.”
According to the University Library there are approximately 9,500 undocumented students in the California State University system.
There have been no limits on the number of free sessions CAPS can provide to students, at least since 2020, according to Melissa Norrbom Kawamoto, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives for Student Affairs.
“If a student is referred to a community provider, it is in the context of their counseling and at the judgment of their counselor. Steps for treatment and care are discussed between each provider and student,” Kawamoto said.
