Howard issued an urgent advisory to its community the week before last regarding potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on campus, reinforcing the need for readiness and understanding of legal rights.
On March 27, the Office of University Communications (OUC) sent out a detailed advisory to faculty, employees and students. The information, sent by email, outlined the steps to take if ICE agents arrived on campus, seeking information or attempting to conduct searches.
The directive aimed to ensure the campus population is aware of their legal rights and responsibilities to protect themselves and the university from potential legal repercussions.
ICE raids, which are unannounced investigations to enforce immigration laws, often involve agents in uniforms or plain clothes who are sometimes accompanied by local law enforcement.
These agents may attempt to detain or question university affiliates. The email informed the campus that they are not authorized to grant ICE agents access to non-public areas without proper identification and documentation.
The Hilltop reached out to the OUC multiple times for comment but the office was unable to provide a response on the urgency of the announcement in time for publication.
This advisory comes in the wake of intensified immigration enforcement efforts nationwide. At Tufts University, the detention of Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk on March 25 sparked major demonstrations.
Safiya Francis, a freshman physics major from Kingston, Jamaica, is an F1-student, a nonimmigrant student visa holder. She recognized the university is taking action in some way to prepare for potential raids, especially after the recent arrest of the Tufts student.
“It was awful seeing [the arrest],” she said. “The fact that she was also here legally, makes me worry even more because that status wasn’t enough to protect her.”
Francis said the timing of the university’s announcement is in light of recent events.
“The situation wasn’t this severe in terms of people with a legal status being picked up,” she said. “[Howard] may be doing this because the likelihood of one of us being taken is much higher.”
Francis said the guidance is great but that “nothing really prepares you for a situation like that” and that it could be a “pick-up now, ask questions later” situation.
Ozturk, a Turkish national working toward her Ph.D., was apprehended by ICE agents in Somerville, Massachusetts, under allegations of supporting Hamas—claims strongly disputed by her supporters.
The incident led to a surge of protests both in Somerville and on Tufts’ campus, with demands for transparency and accountability from the university.
Neighboring universities like Georgetown University and George Washington University held their own student-led demonstrations as part of the growing “Hands Off” movement—a nationwide initiative advocating for the protection of students and pushing back against intensified immigration policies.
Sit-ins, marches and petitions have become common tools for students calling on their institutions to adopt stronger protections and take definitive stands against immigration enforcement actions.
The university remains focused on the safety and legal protection of everyone on campus. According to the email, Howard advised the community to “treat all visitors to campus, including ICE agents, with courtesy and respect.”
The email recommended if you are approached by ICE agents, the collective should immediately notify the Department of Public Safety. Discussions are ongoing to implement additional measures and support systems that address potential future incidents.
Students are urged to remain alert and ready for a potential ICE raid, as unease and uncertainty looms over the campus.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
