The Benicia Police Department is warning the community about a dangerous activity they believe high school students are planning Friday.
It’s a catch and release game called “La Migra” where older students capture younger students and drop them off at unknown locations against their will. The name comes from a slang term for ICE.
“Public safety is our primary concern,” said Lieutenant Kenneth Hart of Benicia police. “Them running through traffic. There’s a potential of them getting hit by a car, the whole game, print premise, grab somebody and bring them into a car.”
The Benicia Unified School District also sent out a warning Thursday saying the game is not only dangerous, but that it is “inappropriate, racist, and offensive.”
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“They title it ‘La Migra’ and it’s been going on for decades here in Benicia. It’s a game in which students simulate undocumented people being captured by border patrol and move to other areas in the city,” said superintendent Damon Wright. “Typically there’s upperclassmen and lower classmen. The upperclassmen serve as border patrol and lower classmen serve as the undocumented people and they are captured and moved. It’s a game of capture and chase, very dangerous.”
Monica Gomez knows firsthand how dangerous the so-called game can be. Her teenage son and his friend were shot multiple times with ice bullets last year as they walked out of a downtown ice cream shop. One of the pellets narrowly missed her son’s eye.
“This is not a game. This is a violent racist act occurring in our community. It can even be labeled as a hate crime,” she said. “The fact that my son, Latino, was impacted and referred to with racial slurs due to La Migra. This is not a game. This is not a game at all. This is a serious, violent racist hate crime that occurs in this community, and it needs to be stopped.”
Students too are raising concerns. Some have made posters encouraging their classmates to think twice about taking part. This student says she realizes kids are trying to have fun but the premise doesn’t feel good.
“It is hurtful, it is a very hurtful thing because people shouldn't just make a game out of it but they should change the name to senior tag so people can understand they’re not just basing it on la migra,” said student Ysabel Rodriguez.
Police, and many parents, said there needs to be a zero-tolerance policy in place as they fear someone could be seriously hurt.
“This activity is not sanctioned by the city or the school district, and poses a serious risk to personal and public safety,” said police Chief Mike Greene in a statement.
He said extra officers would be staffed Friday but highly discourages participation.
“This game puts your children and the public in unsafe situations,” said Greene. “We urge all members of the Benicia community to exercise caution and responsibility, and to be mindful of the safety of others. As always, public safety is and should be a top priority for all.”
