Immigration lawyer and activist Lizbeth Mateo paid a visit to Cal State LA late last month to educate students and staff about their legal rights as DACA students and undocumented residents. The panel came at a critical time, as unverified rumors of campus raids by ICE frightened many students and faculty the week before.
The seminar was presented by the Students United to Reach Goals in Education organization, or S.U.R.G.E. organization. Opening the event was a screening of a documentary starring Mateo herself, which aired previously on HBO. The film followed Mateo’s journey as she represented an immigrant woman applying for asylum in the United States, and shed light on the origins of her career.
Mateo emigrated with her family to the United States at the early age of 14. After successfully graduating from Santa Clarita University School of Law in 2016, she went on to open her own law practice in 2018, with a focus on helping residents with immigration or work compensation cases.
Mateo, who was also undocumented at the time of the documentary, reflected on her career and sees her journey as a testament to growth and change since the film’s 2020 release.
“I’m more experienced in working on sanctuary cases,” said Mateo. “It taught me a lot about what I’m capable of doing. When I started working on that case and we started filming the documentary I was a very new attorney. But I still have a lot to learn.”
Following the film, Mateo guided the audience through a presentation that outlined specific rights residents have if they ever experience an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and answered concerns from audience members in a brief Q&A session afterward. Mateo explained how to identify official legal documents such as judicial warrants, the importance of contacting an attorney, and specific rights people have if they are ever detained or threatened with detainment from agents.
For ASI president Yahir Flores, it was imperative that students and staff understand that everyone attending Cal State LA has a sense of belonging.
“We’re working on a resolution that identifies and addresses our commitment as associated students of the university,” said Flores. “That documented undocumented students should be prioritized as far as safety and other support systems.”
As a conclusion to the seminar, the S.U.R.G.E. organizations expressed their demands of Cal State LA to show support of undocumented communities.
Despite mounting concerns following President Trump’s inauguration, Mateo encouraged everyone to persevere and advocate for their communities.
“We have something now that we care about, and that we want to protect, “ said Mateo. “We have to be courageous, and we have to be involved, and we have to organize and be more fearless than we were.”
Cal State LA provides resources for students and faculty at calstatela.edu/immigration. S.U.R.G.E. will continue to provide financial guidance and other academic support for students, and can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @surgecsula.
