NC State’s Students for Immigrants Rights and Equality is striving to make a difference. From volunteer work in the community to on-campus awareness efforts, the student organization aims to support immigrants in all capacities. Impressively, the group is headed to Texas over spring break to volunteer with the South Texas Family Residential Center, working with a locally based nonprofit that provides legal services to residents. On a local level, the organization will host Sanctuary Everywhere, a public display of solidarity for those in sanctuary, this Saturday at the North Carolina State Capitol.
Carl Hintz, a fourth-year studying mathematics and president of Students for Immigrants Rights and Equality, answered a few questions regarding the organization’s efforts.
What made you first want to get involved with Students for Immigrants Rights and Equality?
I was really concerned about the increased policies that harm immigrants, and I wanted to do what I could to help more. My dad served in the Peace Corps in Honduras and El Salvador, and that influenced my perspective and my concern for people who’ve had to move from their home countries.
What is your mission as an organization?
Most recently we’ve been trying to find a way to help people directly. We’ve worked with a woman who was an NC State employee, whose husband is in sanctuary. We’re trying to help out her family, and we’re organizing a public display of support for her and her family. In the past we’ve done events that have involved calling representatives. … We’ve been active with contacting our state representatives, and also have worked with other groups in the area. When there was the solidarity rally we helped out with that some, and we’ve also worked with NC State’s Muslim Student Association. Our main goal is to do work that helps to support immigrants.
How has the current political state affected your work as an organization?
Our organization exists in part because a lot of people are concerned, and in the 2016 campaign there was a lot of anti-immigrant rhetoric, and currently there’s an increase in deportations and concern about whether DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, will be continued, but a lot of these issues have been around for a long time. It’s not new.
What kind of resources do you provide to immigrants in the Raleigh area?
We’re primarily a group of students who are concerned and want to do what we can to help. We’re familiar with the resources in the area. NC State students have access to free legal resources through our school, but we’re a way that people can be involved with volunteering and engaging with their representatives.
What are your goals for this semester?
This Saturday is the solidarity Sanctuary Everywhere event that we’re organizing. It’s a public display of support for people that are currently in sanctuary. We’re also planning to help organize a phone calling event in support of DACA, which will likely be in early February. We’re hoping to increase our capacity so we’re able to help out families in the area.
How can students further support immigrants rights on campus?
On campus there’s a lot of organizations students can get involved with. On the political side it can be very impactful to contact representatives about an issue that’s concerning them, because laws can have a huge impact on individuals’ lives. There are ways that someone can help directly by volunteering. There’s many organizations in the area that directly serve the immigrant communities that students can volunteer with.
To get involved with Students for Immigrants Rights and Equality, email Carl Hintz at cwhintz@ncsu.edu. The organization is also listed under Student Involvement’s getinvolved webpage, https://getinvolved.ncsu.edu/organization/Immigrant_Rights.
