At least 10 Florida public universities have reached agreements with the federal government to authorize campus police to challenge and detain undocumented immigrants.
Internal Advanced ED Public records of all 12 state university systems related to agreements on immigration and customs enforcement in the United States were requested. According to the results, it is clear that at least 10 transactions have been signed with ICE: Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida New College, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
Florida State University and Florida Tech are signing paperwork, according to a spokesperson for each institution.
It is unclear whether the 28 members of the University of Florida system have not been sworn in with the police force, and they have made similar arrangements with the ICE. A spokesperson for the FCS system did not respond to a request for comment on whether its universities also entered into such agreements.
Universities across the state signed a memorandum of agreement directed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ordered law enforcement agencies to work with ICE to “execute immigration enforcement functions.”
Legal experts and Florida faculty and staff noted that such protocols are rare and marked the typical responsibilities of campus police, often excluding immigration enforcement. They also raise concerns about how this arrangement creates an atmosphere of fear on campus.
Executors seek partners
Shortly after the DeSantis directive, the governor hired former U.S. attorney Larry Keefe from the northern region of Florida to serve as executive director of the new state immigration enforcement committee created by the Florida legislature. Keefe helped DeSantis plan famous planes for immigrants flying from Texas to Massachusetts in 2022.
Keefe was appointed to the position on February 17. Eight days later, Jennifer Pritt, executive director of the Florida State Police Chiefs Association, sent an email to multiple universities, including a template for a memorandum of agreement with ICE. “Director Keefe is seeking as much city involvement as possible as possible,” Pritt wrote.
However, most universities provide limited statements regarding their agreement with ICE. A spokesperson for the Florida Council also provided few details.
“Several police departments at universities in the Florida State University system are working with the U.S. immigration and customs enforcement community,” Flbog Director of Public Affairs Cassandra Edwards wrote in an email. “We do not keep these records and it is recommended to contact individual universities for specific information about the partnership.”
Public records show Florida Poly hesitated, apparently due to guidance from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who is also on the state immigration law enforcement committee.
“He wants us to stick with it instead of signing because he is going to handle everyone from Polk, not want to [sic] We are currently involved.
Although Florida Tech noted that it is still under consideration, Internal Advanced ED Another message from the Netherlands shows that Florida seems willing to sign.
“Can you send a signed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding to the template I need to sign?” The Netherlands wrote in an email to New College Police Chief Jennifer Coley on April 3.
(Florida Poly confirmed after publication that it plans to sign paperwork on Wednesday.)
protocol
Memorandum of Agreement Review Internal Advanced ED It shows that universities arranged with ICE will grant police powers to perform tasks usually reserved for government officials, such as inquiring, arresting and preparing individuals on campus suspected of violating immigration.
According to a copy of the agreement between the university and ICE, campus police will be required to conduct mandatory training on “relevant administrative, legal and operational issues that are tailored to the Immigration Law Enforcement Position to be enforced.” Internal Advanced ED.
The universities that signed the agreement did not provide a timeline for when training began.
Michael Kagan, A law professor and director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Nevada Las Vegas said the agreements were not common at universities, noting that he did not have any other agreements. They are essentially “forced multipliers of ice, representing local police agencies to do what ice usually does.”
Jennifer Chacón, a professor at Stanford Law School, also said she hadn’t heard of previous agreements between campus police and ice. Chacón noted that the 287 (g) agreement proposed in 1996 delegated immigration enforcement power to other law enforcement agencies, gradually faded over the years, rose under the leadership of the Republican president and belonged to the Democratic opponent. Under President Donald Trump, he cracked down on the central part of the immigration policy agenda, and this kind of deal is surging.
“In the past three months, we have seen an explosion in the 287(g) deal under Trump,” Chakon said.
“Aim to increase fear”
Faculty and legal scholars expressed doubts and concerns about the campus agreement with ICE.
In a statement Internal Advanced EDFlorida International Chapter of Florida, Florida, asked the university to withdraw from the program immediately and condemn the program.
“We confirm that every member of our university community has the fundamental right to feel safe on campus – free from analytics, surveillance and fear of deportation,” the member wrote. “FIU’s latest act of anticipatory obedience undermines the rights of our community and jeopardizes the opportunity for all students and faculty to learn from and engage with their non-citizen peers. FIU’s haste to comply with ICE is in direct conflict with its stated vision. These actions distract from our educational mission and erode the Inclusive environment FIU claims to foster.”
The statement added that the student group is “the majority Hispanic, large numbers of immigrants, and is also home to nearly 600 students protected by the Childhood Arrival Program (DACA) program of the Deferred Action, calling the agreement a betrayal of FIU as a prominent Hispanic service agency.
FIU teachers also wrote that they were “likely shocked to hear the termination of the F-1 visa status of 18 FIU students”. (As of at least 1,234 students from at least 209 universities have been revoked as of Tuesday night, and in some cases, participated in campus protests, but often for unknown reasons.)
Legal scholars share teachers’ concerns about the consequences of such agreements.
“It seems to be to increase fear. Whether the design is design or not, it will likely increase the racial profile of the campus, which is not an effective way to immigrate police at all,” Chakon said.
Kagan said he would be no surprise to see similar protocols in colleges in other red states.
“I think that will emphasize extremes in the reactions of different college systems to the reality of immigration being a part of their campus life,” he said. “You have an extreme, and Florida is saying, ‘Let’s go after them with our own police, and your other college systems are already starting to start programs that are more enthusiastic about undocumented students.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect Florida Poly’s plan to sign an agreement with ICE on Wednesday.
