The Trump administration’s federal policy regarding immigration has sparked a wave of visa cancellations, detentions and deportation concerns, prompting advocacy organizations and 5C community members to address the protocols related to students’ rights.
On Jan. 20, the Trump administration issued an executive order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorist and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” made to “protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks.”
The administration is enforcing this by evaluating all visa programs to see whether they’re being used by “hostile actors to harm the security, economic, political, cultural, or other national interests of the United States.”
This raises a risk for some international and undocumented students; those who participate in protests that vandalize college campuses could face an even greater risk.
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration is looking to target people involved in these kinds of protests. He argued that such actions contradict the foreign policy interests of the United States.
“We don’t want people in our country that are going to be committing crimes and undermining our national security or the public safety,” Rubio said in a March 16 airing of CBS’s weekly news program. “It’s that simple, especially people that are here as guests.”
At the 5Cs, some community members are expressing concern over the Trump administration’s recent immigration policy changes. Rachel VanSickle-Ward, a professor of political studies at Pitzer College, said that those who are undocumented are most at risk of facing legal action, but that the administration has not drawn the line at targeting them.
“The current administration has shown a willingness to target legal residents and U.S. citizens,” she wrote in an email to TSL. “This illustrates that attacks on immigrants can ultimately be shifted to attacks on anyone the administration deems dangerous, with little to no due process.”
VanSickle-Ward’s sentiment aligns with concerns raised by various educational and advocacy-based organizations across the U.S, including the Association of International Educators and the American Association of University Professors. The latter organization addressed the legal implications of sharing personally identifiable information about students and faculty with the government.
“We write to you to … make clear that you are under no legal compulsion to comply with such a request, and to strongly urge you not to comply, given the serious risks and harms of doing so,” they wrote in a letter to colleges and universities across the nation.
In December, Director of Campus Safety Mike Hallinan issued a statement to the Claremont Colleges emphasizing Campus Safety’s dedication to protecting the safety of students and faculty. They added that they do not inquire about students’ documentation or take any action based on their immigration status.
“The Claremont Colleges Campus Safety Department does not and will not assist in any immigration-related enforcement or issues,” Hallinan wrote. “Our role is focused solely on ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of our community members.”
Beyond this 5C-wide statement, Pomona and Pitzer have been the only 5Cs to release official statements to students regarding immigration-related concerns.
On Feb. 19, Pitzer President Strom Thacker addressed the concern over changing immigration policies in a message to the community.
“We have identified an immigration attorney to advise undocumented students and the College, increased outreach to individual students and employees, reinforced key support mechanisms, and planned and begun sharing information around ‘know your rights’” training and protocols,” Thacker wrote.
Then, in an April 3 email to Pomona students, Acting President Robert Gaines wrote that the college is monitoring updates regarding ICE enforcement actions near college campuses nationwide. He added that Pomona is unaware of any such actions taking place at the 5Cs.
“I assure you that if we learn of ICE’s having conducted any enforcement action at Pomona, we will inform you of that fact,” Gaines wrote. “I also want to assure you that should such actions develop, the College will do everything in its power to protect each and every student’s legal rights.”
Students interested in learning more about how to deal with law enforcement and ICE in the Inland Empire can access “know your rights” guidelines released by the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice.
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