The phrase “Don’t drink the water in Mexico” is a familiar cautionary saying for Americans traveling to Mexico, and it reflects the stereotype that the water in Mexico isn’t safe to drink. My thesis project Don’t Use the ICE in America reframes that warning to show how fear and danger are being redirected onto immigrant communities in the United States by the Trump administration. Thousands of innocent immigrant families are being unlawfully detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leading to ongoing abuse in detention centers, racially profiling of U.S. citizens, and most importantly, the tearing apart of Mexican-American culture. More than 70,000 individuals have been detained by ICE since the end of January this year. These impacts make it clear that what’s at stake is not only immigration policy, but the safety of Mexican-American families, communities, and culture. 

Don’t Use the ICE in America is a poster series that draws from the visual style of Lotería, a traditional Mexican bingo game. Chicano muralists such as Leo Tanguma, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco helped inform my research on ways to represent, support and protect cultural communities. With these simple illustrations and strong iconography, I created a Lotería inspired poster series that critiques ICE’s actions towards immigrant families. Using Lotería as a visual springboard, the poster series connects to Mexican cultural memory, emphasizing what enforcement policies threaten to erase: family, tradition, and belonging. 

 The series (LA TAZA, LA SEÑAL, LA BANDERA, and TU VOZ) extend the project’s critique through four connected themes: fear and violence in the negative aspect, with solidarity and empowerment in the positive aspect to help local immigrants. Together, they frame immigration enforcement not as protection, but as a system that produces trauma for Mexican-American communities. Which also shows ways to protect the rights and pride of Mexican-American culture. 

One of the most important ways to push back against mass deportations is to support local immigrant communities, participate in protests and movements, and exercise First Amendment rights, including freedom of speech. In the face of mass deportations, silence protects the system, and collective action protects people.