Early this morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entered a Columbia University residential building and detained an undergraduate student.
Reports indicate that the student has since been released. Reacting to this news, Justin Mazzola, Deputy Director of Research at Amnesty International USA, said:
“ICE continues to target international students, and Columbia University is once again in its crosshairs – subjecting yet another student to arbitrary arrest and the widely documented inhumane conditions at ICE holding and detention facilities.
“As thousands of students across the United States are missing school or showing up to school in fear, this is just another example of ICE lying and targeting people for seeking an education. ICE once again used tricks and ruses, hid their identity, and accessed a space without a warrant.
“ICE has no place in or around schools – period. While we welcome reports of the student’s release, Columbia University must affirm its commitment to be a sanctuary campus and adopt safeguarding policies to ensure that no student or faculty fears going to campus could result in their detention. And Congress has an obligation to rein in ICE and their lawless behavior.
“Congress must not give ICE another dollar. Instead, it must cut funds to ICE and Border Patrol and enact real reforms that stop the violence in our communities, including prohibiting ICE from engaging in enforcement in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, places of worship, and polling places. ICE must leave schools alone, and school administrations must do more to safeguard their students and faculty from the federal government’s crackdowns.”
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