We Can’t Normalize This: ICE Raids, Mental Health, and the Urgency of Collective Resistance | No podemos normalizar esto: Redadas de ICE, salud mental y la urgencia de resistir colectivamente
ICE raids are not routine. They are not “just part of the system.”
Las redadas de ICE no son rutinarias. No son “parte del sistema”.
They are state-sanctioned violence—dehumanizing, destabilizing, and traumatic.
Son violencia avalada por el estado—deshumanizante, desestabilizadora y traumática.
As a Chicana therapist and Clinical Director of Tree of Life Counseling Center, I’m calling this what it is: Terror inflicted on our people, right here, right now.
Como terapeuta Chicana y Directora Clínica de Tree of Life Counseling Center, nombro esto por lo que es: Terror contra nuestra gente, aquí y ahora.
The Mental Health Crisis / La crisis de salud mental
ICE raids don’t just break up families. They create lasting trauma stored in the body.
Las redadas no solo separan familias. Crean trauma duradero que se guarda en el cuerpo.
We see chronic anxiety, PTSD, grief, and depression.
Vemos ansiedad crónica, TEPT, duelo y depresión.
Children carry fear in their nervous systems. Parents stay in survival mode. Whole communities experience spiritual and emotional fatigue.
Lxs niñxs cargan el miedo en su cuerpo. Lxs adultxs se quedan en modo de supervivencia. Comunidades enteras viven con fatiga emocional y espiritual.
This isn’t just political—it’s deeply personal.
Esto no es solo político—es profundamente personal.
We cannot ask people to “heal” while their loved ones are being taken.
No se puede pedir a las personas que “sane” mientras se llevan a sus seres queridxs.
Resistance is Mental Health Care / Resistir es cuidado de la salud mental
Let’s be clear: ICE is not protection. It’s a weapon of white supremacy.
Vamos a ser clarxs:ICE no es protección. Es un arma del supremacismo blanco.
Raids are not justice. They are abuse. / Las redadas no son justicia. Son abuso.
When we resist this violence—when we speak out, organize, and care for each other—we disrupt cycles of trauma.
Cuando resistimos esta violencia—cuando alzamos la voz, nos organizamos y cuidamos unxs de otrxs—interrumpimos ciclos de trauma.
Resistance is care / La resistencia es cuidado.
Collective action is healing / La acción colectiva es sanación.
To our undocumented kin / A nuestra familia indocumentada:
You are sacred / Eres sagradx.
You are not alone / No estás solx.
You belong / Perteneces aquí.
What You Can Do / Lo que tú puedes hacer
Now is the time to resist—in whatever ways you can.
Ahora es el momento de resistir—de cualquier forma posible.
Speak truth / Habla con claridad
Share resources / Comparte recursos
Interrupt harm / Interrumpe el daño
Host healing spaces / Crea espacios de sanación
Make art / Crea arte
Call local officials / Llama a funcionarios
Join or support local organizing / Únete o apoya a grupos locales
No action is too small when done in love. / Ninguna acción es pequeña cuando nace del amor.
In solidarity and fierce love / Con solidaridad y amor feroz
- Alyssa Cedillo, MA, LPC-S, RPT-S™
Clinical Director, Tree of Life Counseling Center / Directora Clínica, Tree of Life Counseling Center
Helpful Resources / Recursos útiles
Mental Health Support / Apoyo de salud mental:
Inclusive Therapists
IMatter Program - Free Youth Therapy (CO)
Mental Health America - Spanish Resources
Tree of Life Counseling Center
Legal & Community Support / Apoyo legal y comunitario:
RAICES – Legal help and advocacy for immigrants
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
United We Dream – Youth-led immigrant rights network
National Immigration Law Center
Know Your Rights / Conoce tus derechos:
ACLU “Know Your Rights” (ICE Raids)
Mijente’s Deportation Defense Toolkit
Follow us for up to date information and community resources at @treeoflife_cc on Instagram , www.treeoflifecounselingcenter.org, and www.rootofitfoundation.org
**AI USED for image description and English to Spanish Translation
Image Description: A richly textured digital illustration depicts four diverse activists standing together in a powerful protest scene. Each individual has a serious and determined expression, with their fists raised in solidarity. In the center, one person holds a large rectangular sign displaying the Tree of Life Counseling Center logo, featuring teal leaves in a circular design with gold and dark green text. The background blends deep greens, browns, and golds, evoking an earthy and grounded feeling. A Pride flag and a Transgender Pride flag subtly wave behind the group, symbolizing liberation, identity, and collective resistance. The artwork conveys themes of unity, protest, healing, and fierce love.
