
After President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, Temple released a statement explaining the university’s compliance with federal agents as faculty and students are preparing for possible detainments across the city.
“The uncertainty of the present moment has also led to an increase in rumors, which can quickly be amplified through social media,” President John Fry wrote in the statement. “Please know that neither Temple’s Department of Public Safety nor the Philadelphia Police Department have any reports of federal ICE agents being on campus.”
Temple’s International Student and Scholar Services department also updated its immigration compliance requirements on its website, noting that some students and faculty are concerned about Temple policies around immigration.
However, ISSS will not address pending legislation, proposed policy changes, social media posts or unverified news reports in order to avoid spreading misinformation, according to its website. The department plans to send updates “when specific changes are announced by the U.S. government that directly impact the community.”
Temple international students were not notified of the updated website message and ISSS also declined The Temple News’ request for comment on recent executive orders.
Social media users have reported ICE agents spotted in and around Philadelphia, including two confirmed raids at a Juniata Park car wash and a Port Richmond Puerto Riacn restaurant the same week, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
A student attending Muhlenberg College in Allentown was reportedly detained and “taken to a location downtown” by ICE on Jan. 26, the Muhlenberg Weekly reported. After presenting and verifying their identity, they were released.
On Feb. 1, one Temple student and two other individuals were recording themselves impersonating ICE agents and attempting to enter a residence hall and a business at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, The Temple News reported. The federal penalty for false personation of an officer or employee of the U.S. can be up to three years in prison.
“They’re typecasting people from certain parts of the world and insinuating certain types of behavior, and regrettably, there have been times where this administration, now and previously, has engaged in that type of rhetoric, even on the campaign trail,” said Timothy Welbeck, director for Temple’s Center for Anti-Racism. “As of right now, we’re still watching how these things unfold, but more so, there’s been a concern about the problematic nature of not only the rhetoric but the types of people being targeted.”
The university will comply with federal agents as long as they follow Temple’s policy around visitors, with identification and warrants required, a Temple spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Temple News.
During winter break, ISSS reminded international students of the upcoming presidential inauguration in an email regarding travel plans for returning back to campus. The department also wrote that additional executive orders may impact travel and visa processing could be implemented on or after that date.
“Given that beforehand warning, plus the sudden ICE raids, is just super unfair,” said Elle Nguyen, a senior data science major and international student from Vietnam. “[It’s] given a lot of pressure on us international students in general to look out for ourselves and also be worried that all the efforts that we have spent to pay for tuition, and be able to catch up with the life we have invested here, and [we’re] suddenly just deported back home for some reason.”
The ISSS recommends students educate themselves of their rights if police or ICE stop them and to utilize the American Civil Liberties Union’s resources.
The ACLU encourages immigrants to remain silent when interacting with ICE and to ask for a lawyer or to speak with their consulate. If ICE or the police visit a home, immigrants can request their identification and a judicial search or arrest warrant. If any agent does not present identification or the required paperwork to conduct a search, the ACLU advises immigrants to not consent to a forced entry or open your door.
The ACLU extends this advice to employers in the event of an ICE visit in a workplace.
“We want to continue to foster a community and environment that continues to do that, and it’s my understanding the university is continuing to do that,” Welbeck said. “As it continues to survey the field and see how the various changes in law impact that, on its face, the university is concerned with honoring its values and so many of those values center on offering opportunities to bright minds across the world, from all types of communities.”
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