On January 20, Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive rescinding Biden administration guidelines that had restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from conducting enforcement operations in certain sensitive locations, including schools and churches.
The directive came amidst a wave of executive actions by President Donald Trump aimed at cracking down on immigration, including increasing deportations, housing arrested migrants in Guantanamo Bay and challenging birthright citizenship, which has long been understood to be enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
The Trump administration’s policies have raised controversy among the University of Arizona community, sparking a protest Feb. 8 on University and Campbell. Meanwhile, the UA College Democrats are urging the university to clarify its role in cooperating with and enforcing these policies.
On Feb. 3, UA College Dems President Ben Armentrout emailed the University’s Office of Public Records, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Registrar and Office of Public Safety asking for clarification on university policies regarding the disclosure of student information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, particularly in relation to ICE.
In the email, Armentrout inquired whether the UA has internal policies restricting the release of directory or limited directory information to law enforcement agencies without a warrant, including ICE. Additionally, Armentrout sought clarification on whether the university limits the use of FERPA’s health and safety emergency exception for cooperation with immigration enforcement.
The email also asked whether the UA has issued specific directives to faculty and staff on how to respond to ICE activity on campus, including requests for student information or access to non-public areas.
“I am operating under an assumption of good faith by UA with regards to threats against student safety on campus. The purpose of this email is not to lambast UA, but to give UA an opportunity to clarify the policies it has in place to protect students,” Armentrout said in the email.
As of this article’s publication, Armentrout has not received a response to the email.
Two days after Armentrout sent this email, on Feb. 5, the UA College Dems released an open letter to UA President Suresh Garimella and the University of Arizona board. The letter detailed a list of actions for the university to take to “demonstrate its commitment to protecting students,” as quoted from the letter. The following day, the UA College Dems launched a petition supporting the demands outlined in the letter, which has since garnered 845 signatures.
The petition demands non-cooperation with ICE without a judicial warrant, protection of student data from DHS, dissemination of ‘Know Your Rights’ information, training for faculty and staff on how to handle DHS encounters and a public statement affirming the university’s commitment to a safe educational environment for all students, regardless of immigration status.
In a conversation at a Feb. 6 College Dems meeting, Armentrout elaborated on the motivation behind the petition, explaining that “this has come from speaking to Hispanic students on campus […] I truly do believe the University of Arizona community supports students being here and learning safely.”
Armentrout also noted his concern about the lack of clear guidance for faculty and staff.
“I spoke with many faculty and staff and they said that they have received no communication from the university. I am aware that resident assistants have now among themselves talked about policies on how to protect residents, but university faculty and staff are frustrated because they haven’t heard anything,” Armentrout said.
In response to a lack of clarity from UA administration, UA College Dems hosted a “Hands Off Our Students” event on Feb. 12, joined by Students for Justice in Palestine and Living United for Change in Arizona.
At the event, community organizers with LUCHA hosted a “Know your Rights” demonstration for attendees, with role-play simulations demonstrating the rights that students and individuals have when interacting with law enforcement entities, distributing “Know your Rights” red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
LUCHA Communications Coordinator Alex Sanchez, a UA Alumni, foresees the Trump administration’s policies having a broad effect on Arizona and beyond.
“There’s a lot of economic impacts that we are about to see, but it’s more than that. These are Arizona families that we are tearing apart. We have growing wealth inequality in this nation and right now, the immigrant community is being scapegoated.” Sanchez said. “We have a fight against the elite that we need to take on, and everyday Americans need to be ready for it.”
When asked about UA College Dems’ petition, Sanchez said, “admin in the past has been very hard to move on anything, but I think it is worth trying.”
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