Following the increased ICE presence in Chicago, DePaul sends out resources to the student body
With President Trump’s plans to increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Illinois, DePaul University implements new strategies to keep students safe.
On September 12, DePaul President Robert L. Manuel held a press conference for DePaul student media to discuss DePaul’s current action plan should ICE come onto campus and what the university will do to ensure students’ safety.
According to Manuel, he, along with his colleagues in the Office of the President, has sent out resources detailing people’s rights, what to expect and where to go if a student needs support. These resources include drop-in support for both University Counseling and Psychological Services (UCAPS) and Mission and Ministry, tips from Public Safety, employee assistance and more.
“The opportunity for us is to work with those who are threatened and fearful, and potentially isolated,” Manuel said.
The Office of General Counsel has also published an FAQ regarding ICE on DePaul’s campus. The questions include:
“What should I do if I learn that a DePaul community member was detained by ICE?”
According to the FAQ, “Anyone who learns that a student was detained by ICE should immediately contact James Dorsett at (312) 362-5171 or Gretchen Frickx at (312) 362-6595.” If a member of the DePaul community who is not a student is detained, anyone who learns this information should contact Bob Wachowski, director of Public Safety, at (773) 325-7762.
“Can a student refuse to allow an ICE officer to enter their residence hall room, home or apartment?” According to the FAQ, students can refuse to allow an ICE officer into their room, as these places are considered “limited access” areas. ICE officers need a valid criminal warrant or voluntary consent to enter limited access areas.
“What should an employee do if an ICE officer asks for information or records about a student or employee?”
According to the FAQ, employees should contact the Office of General Counsel immediately. Student records are protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and “as a University employee, you are required to maintain the confidentiality of these records.”
In addition to sending out resources, Manuel is also requiring training sessions for Public Safety, Resident Assistants (RAs) and Resident Directors (RDs). In the Public Safety training, they cover both legal training, situational training and de-escalation tactics should a situation get intense, according to Manuel.
“They’ve got to be trained on the law,” Manuel said in regards to Public Safety officers. “How can they intervene, when do they intervene, what is legal and what is not?”
RAs and RDs are trained by Housing and Residence Life to delegate all law enforcement officers, including ICE, to “Public Safety and their staff supervisor,” according to Rick Moreci, the associate vice president of Student Affairs.
“We understand that this is a time of heightened anxiety for many on campus,” Moreci said. “The role of desk receptionists, resident assistants and resident directors is to make the residential student experience engaging, safe, and inclusive.”
President Manuel believes these resources and training sessions are not enough, however, as people are more likely to encounter ICE outside of DePaul.
“We need to figure out how to help everybody craft their own plan of action because there’s tons of different ways we could encounter ICE here,” Manuel said. “Probably less likely it happens on campus, more likely it happens out in the community.”
Manuel recommends that everybody has “their own plan ahead, so that should they be stopped, they would know what to do.”
The City of Chicago has a published resource guide detailing your rights. According to the guide, no matter what your citizenship status is, you always have the right to remain silent and you do not have to open the door to anyone. Do not openly discuss your citizenship status “with the police, immigration agents or other officials.”
“Every person’s situation is different,” Manuel said. “Their questions will be different, their plans have to be different, so we want to encourage everybody to think about their individual plans.”
Header photo by Dani Snedeker
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