By Josephine Andoh

Alleged reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity near the University of Maryland’s campus because of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have left some students cautious and concerned.

Reports of ICE activity in Prince George’s County have spread since September and the agency plans to lease an office building in Hyattsville, Maryland, according to a press release from Rep. Glenn Ivey’s office. Additionally, a new wave of reports began in late January on various online platforms, including iceout.org.

“I haven’t heard anything specific about [ICE] being on campus, but I do understand that they’re in this surrounding area,” said Rachel Schmid-James, a senior art history major. 

University President Darryll Pines and other school leaders stated in a Feb. 6 email that they were “not aware of any planned activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Office of Inspector General or other [federal] agencies on campus.”

This has not stopped some students from taking precautionary measures.

“I personally haven’t seen anything, [but] I make sure to carry my wallet, my ID, keys and all that stuff more recently,” said Nadia Escamilla, a freshman government and politics major. 

Cori Alonso-Yoder, director of the Immigration Clinic, said that deciding whether or not to carry immigration or citizenship documents is a personal choice. The Immigration Clinic is an affiliate of the Chacón Center for Immigrant Justice at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, where she works as an associate professor.

“You shouldn’t be required to do so because that is a violation of your rights and your sense of safety,” Alonso-Yoder said.

She encouraged students to consider carrying Red Cards, documents from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center that outline the rights of all people in the U.S.

If ICE agents approach university employees, campus guidance requires them to ask agents to wait in a public area while they contact a university representative. If an agent attempts to enter a nonpublic area, employees should contact the University of Maryland Police Department and the Office of General Counsel for assistance.

Alonso-Yoder said that the university has certain rights regarding ICE activity, despite being a public institution.

“Think about needing ID or authorization to go into a dorm building,” Alonso-Yoder said. “ICE officials would still need warrants to go into those different locations.”

The email from UMD leaders also stated that the school “has followed, and will continue to follow, the law.” Some students, like Schmid-James, find that position frustrating. She said that ICE has failed to follow the Constitution and that UMD should not cooperate with them.

“Part of [our] identity as a [federally funded] school means that we need to uphold the Constitution,” Schmid-James said. “If the Constitution is not being followed by a group of people, then we need to act up against that.”

The Trump administration’s deployment of ICE in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, has left some students troubled. The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis sparked protests nationwide. 

“It’s horrifying to observe what’s been happening in Minneapolis,” Schmid-James said. “It’s very scary to see that we can watch people be killed and illegally taken and just think that there’s nothing to do about it.”

ICE’s actions are indicative of a larger issue, according to Alonso-Yoder. 

“At the moment, we do see a [federal] agency that seems to be ill-trained and willing to really push the boundaries of the law,” Alonso-Yoder said. “That is a real failure of our government.”

Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill on Feb. 17 banning local governments and law enforcement agencies from making 287(g) agreements with ICE. These agreements allow law enforcement officers to act as federal immigration agents with limited authority, but can be ended or banned at any time.

Bans on 287(g) agreements are one way the Constitution “provides certain rights and protections to the states [concerning] potential coercion by the federal government,” Alonso-Yoder said.

Some students believe Maryland should take more action.

“We should be working to become a sanctuary state,” Schmid-James said. “We could be doing a lot more to protect people from ICE and other government organizations like that.” 

However, the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions, making that designation unlikely.

“I hate all that’s happening,” Escamilla said. “People shouldn’t be scared to walk out in the streets, and they should just feel safe without [worrying about] getting tackled to the ground or dying.”

Featured Image: Documentation of alleged ICE sightings ranging from Jan. 21 to Feb. 17 on YikYak and Instagram. Screenshots courtesy of Dia Bonsu. 

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to better reflect a statement made by Cori Alonso-Yoder about what sort of documentation people should carry. Previous version: “’My view is that it’s important for people of all immigration statuses to carry [their] documents,’ Alonso-Yoder said. ‘If, by doing so, they are supported by campus police and the university, I think that’s all the better.’” Current version: “‘You shouldn’t be required to do so because that is a violation of your rights and your sense of safety,’ Alonso-Yoder said. She encouraged students to consider carrying Red Cards, documents from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center that outline the rights of all people in the U.S.”