UCLA Student Health Group Halts Programs After ICE Raids Refugee Center

A UCLA community service club, Pilipinos for Community Health, has paused its programming following a January immigration raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Refugee Children Center in the San Fernando Valley. The raid, part of the Trump administration’s intensified mass deportation campaign in Los Angeles, led to the detention of a father whose child was present at the center, according to Liana Duque, the organization’s pediatrics director and a fourth-year psychobiology student.

Pilipinos for Community Health, operating under the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s Community Service Commission, has provided health education and CPR classes to children at the Refugee Children Center since 2022. The sudden halt in programming has left children without access to early education, youth development, ESL classes, and other vital support services, exacerbating the instability faced by immigrant families, said Mayra Medina-Núñez, the center’s executive director.

“The disruption compounded an already fragile situation for families navigating fear and instability,” Medina-Núñez said in a statement.

Volunteers and community members remain fearful in the raid’s aftermath, prompting the club to shift focus toward providing basic needs such as food and hygiene kits to affected families. Duque emphasized the organization’s ongoing commitment despite the setback: “We’re trying to do our best right now, providing free hygiene kits and food donations so families don’t have to leave their homes.”

The trauma of witnessing the raid has also raised concerns about the emotional well-being of children at the center, with the club exploring ways to support their recovery.

Edison Chua, the Community Service commissioner for UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council, affirmed the commission’s support for Pilipinos for Community Health during this pause. He noted that previous interruptions to community service projects occurred during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2025 Los Angeles fires but expressed optimism that programming would resume once conditions improve.

The raid and its fallout underscore the ongoing consequences of aggressive immigration enforcement policies that disrupt critical community services and deepen fear among immigrant populations. ICE has not responded to requests for comment on the raid.

This incident is a stark reminder that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues to erode the safety nets immigrant families rely on, threatening the well-being of children and the communities that serve them.