Dear Campus Community,
As the national climate continues to illuminate the various challenges our most vulnerable communities face, the current federal administration also makes decisions that exacerbate those challenges. According to an article from the Washington Post, the federal administration is preparing an immigration enforcement blitz as early as next week that would target arrests in U.S. cities and jurisdictions that have adopted “sanctuary” policies. This approach could impact our campus directly. While we are doing our best to prepare the small number of individuals who are on campus in case they encounter an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) operation, we also want to acknowledge that many of our students, staff and faculty could encounter this operation within their own communities.
Our Dream Resource Center (DRC) is hosting a workshop in collaboration with the Immigrant Legal Defense. This program, Immigration Workshop: What to do if you encounter ICE, is tonight, Wednesday, September 30th from 6pm – 7:30pm. During the workshop, people will learn about the constitutional rights an individual has when encountering ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and other law enforcement agencies. Participants will also learn how to prepare for possible ICE action and how to obtain legal assistance. If you have any questions you can email drc@sfsu.edu.
In addition, we want to encourage our campus community to take advantage of the free and confidential Legal Services offered by the Dream Resource Center in partnership with the immigrant Legal Defense. These services are available free of charge to CSU students, employees and their immediate family. Attorneys and paralegals are available to assist students with general consultations, DACA renewals and general assistance in filling out forms such as family-based petitions. If interested, sign up for a consultation online or email the DRC at drc@sfsu.edu.
If anyone encounters ICE on campus, they may ask the officer for their name, identification number and agency affiliation; ask for a copy of any warrant they may have; and inform the officer that they are not seeking to obstruct their process. In this case, please contact University Counsel and/or the University Police Department (UPD) at 415-338-2222. Campus police officers will not contact, detain, question or arrest an individual solely on the basis of suspected undocumented immigration status or to discover the immigration status of any individual, and UPD will not undertake joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement authorities to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law.
Another great resource is the FAQ’s for California State University employees about federal immigration enforcement actions on university property.
During remote instruction and services, we remain committed to supporting you. Please stay connected to your local news for information on ICE and activities that may be happening in your community.