‘Incredibly dystopian’: Pitt community reacts to rumors of ICE on campus

Across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has targeted foreign nationals on college campuses for deportation. Many Pitt students fear their campus is next.

Some of those arrested include international students who the government alleges participated in protests or activities in support of Palestine. These arrests come after President Donald Trump’s Jan. 30 executive order, which is meant to “combat the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our streets” and demands “the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws.” 

On March 26, rumors of ICE coming to Pitt circulated on social media, sparking some worry and uncertainty in the Pitt community. A University spokesperson confirmed that ICE has not been on campus as of Monday, Apr. 7.

Student Government Board addressed concerns related to ICE at SGB’s Apr. 1 meeting.

In an interview with The Pitt News, SGB President Sarah Mayer said the board spoke with Student Affairs to confirm that there have not been any official reports of ICE on campus and reached out to Pitt Police to discuss student concerns.

Mayer shared information from the Chancellor’s Public Safety Advisory Council on March 26. According to Mayer, Scott Argio, assistant vice chancellor for public safety, reported that ICE is most concerned with overstays, undocumented people and criminals. Mayer said he also highlighted the resources of the Office of International Services.

“They have some resources available in the list on their website that’s pretty comprehensive. I also know that they are willing to kind of meet with students to talk about more niche issues,” Mayer said. “They also are working on developing a kind of wallet card to distribute to students, faculty, campus in general that has a list of some resources.”

Board member Andrew Elliott also told The Pitt News that SGB is working on creating a “know your rights” campaign in coordination with Student Affairs. He also said they are trying to make sure they are prepared in the event that ICE does come to campus and are keeping an “active eye” on the situation.

“A lot of our work now and over the summer into next year is collaborating with the University departments to make sure that they are doing everything in their power to protect students,” Elliott said, “and within the local community to make sure that the Pitt police are accessible to students and aren’t overly friendly to ICE where they don’t have to be.”

A representative of Students for Justice in Palestine, who was granted anonymity due to past threats and experiences of doxxing, described the recent arrests of student activists occurring nationally as “reactionary,” “despotic” and “fascistic.” 

But the representative said the detainments are “in line” with what the pro-Palestinian movement has experienced during the past year and a half. 

“The US government will stop at nothing to shut down the ability of its populace to dissent with the foreign policy decisions of this country,” the representative said. 

The SJP representative also referenced last week’s government revocation of student visas at universities in Arizona. They said such decisions have an “incredibly damaging effect on the vitality of our immigrant communities” and the ability of activists to speak out. 

“It creates a widespread chilling effect in activist circles when you see your peers become afraid of being deported from this country because they attended a protest or they published an article,” the SJP representative said. 

The SJP representative said that SJP is currently making sure students have green cards and that international students are aware of these recent national developments. 

“My advice, given recent national developments, is to consider reducing public visibility in protests and demonstrations,” the SJP representative said. “International students worried about their immigration status should assess their past exposure and reach out to CAIR and Palestine Legal. It’s incredibly dystopian to say, but that is the nature of the reality that we’re living in.” 

When board members of the Latinx Student Association at Pitt heard about ICE potentially being on campus, they chose not to make a statement without more concrete evidence to avoid causing mass panic among members, according to Jasmine Deleon, president of LSA and a senior natural sciences major.

Since the Trump administration’s deportations began on his first day in office, Deleon said the club has tried to reassure club members that they are not alone. The club has also spoken with immigration lawyers and continues to share resources in English, Spanish and Portuguese, according to Deleon.

Deleon said there’s a fear of detainment that affects Latinos on campus, even amongst those who were born in the U.S. and have citizenship.

“[The rumor of ICE on campus] makes everything more difficult, not just emotionally, but academically,” Deleon said. 

Sonia Guzman, social media manager for LSA and an undeclared sophomore, said the threat of ICE on campus is “frightening” because of racial profiling, where those who look white are less likely to be targeted. Guzman said people will be afraid to go out, speaking from experience in her hometown of Union City, New Jersey, a town with a large Hispanic population.

“My mom and my dad have told me that since [Trump] got elected, there’s been a huge decrease of seeing people outside because people are just scared to leave their homes,” Guzman said. “So I feel like, with rumors circulating here, people might not really leave their dorms if it’s not necessary, and honestly, that might lead to a decrease of people attending class.”

Guzman feels Pitt should be trying to protect its students, especially international ones.

“I feel like their safety is what matters most,” Guzman said. “People who are citizens are scared, but we’re not as scared as [international students] are because they’re obviously here on a student visa. And I feel almost everyone has seen the video circulating from what happened in [Massachusetts] to someone who was here on a student visa, where she basically got attacked walking to [iftar].”

Deleon said she thinks “immediate and transparent communication” is key to keeping the community safe.

“There definitely needs to be better coordination,” Guzman said. “It’s sort of unnerving to me that [the University is] not having a more direct outreach with students, considering they’re the ones who are being directly affected by this.”