Over 35 colleges enforce ‘Sanctuary Campus’ policies, refuse to cooperate with ICE

As the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration, American colleges and universities are vowing to protect illegal immigrant students. 

Campus Reform investigated institutions of higher education that are enforcing sanctuary campus policies designed to protect illegal immigrant students by limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

[RELATED: Cal State LA offers remote learning over ICE fears]

While the exact term “sanctuary campus” is sometimes avoided by administrators due to political and legal sensitivities, certain schools have officially declared this status while others have implemented similar protections without using the label.

Here are notable examples of colleges and universities that have been publicly identified as sanctuary campuses or have adopted sweeping sanctuary policies:

Portland State University

Portland State University (PSU) in Portland, Oregon, calls itself a “sanctuary campus” and affirms that the campus “does not enforce federal immigration law.”

“PSU will not consent to immigration enforcement actions on campus … [and] protects the confidentiality of student records as required by law,” a university webpage states. 

The public university blocks immigration authorities from entering “classrooms, research labs, university housing, office spaces not open to the general public,” according to the PSU Office of the General Counsel. 

Oregon’s sanctuary state policy blocks all state and local law enforcement agencies, including campus police, from working with federal immigration authorities. 

Long Beach City College

Long Beach City College (LBCC) in Long Beach, California, calls itself a “safe campus” and publicly stated it will not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Campus public safety officers “will not engage in joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement authorities, such as ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violations of federal immigration law,” an LBCC webpage states. 

The public community college says its policies align with California’s sanctuary state laws, which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Morehouse College

The president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, said “we would not cooperate” with immigration authorities and would attempt to intercept operations. 

“If immigration services were to show up in Morehouse, we would not cooperate. If they were to show up and want to investigate and collect our students who may not be documented, we would not cooperate with that process, or at least I would not authorize my staff to cooperate,” University President David Thomas told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

 “[We] have agreed that if agents arrive at our gates, they will be held there until they are met by the highest-ranking officer on duty. If they present a warrant, it must be verified before any further action is taken,” Morehouse Provost Kendrick Brown wrote in an email to faculty and staff, Capital B News reported.

Wesleyan University 

Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, condemned President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and vowed to work against them. 

“The mass deportations promised by president-elect Trump threaten our students who may be undocumented and are a cause of great concern to many in our community,” University President Michael Roth wrote in a Nov. 6 statement after Trump won the presidential election. 

“The University will not voluntarily assist in any efforts by the federal government to deport our students, faculty or staff solely because of their citizenship status. Today, the work to defend the most vulnerable has never been more important,” Roth concluded. 

Roth designated Wesleyan University a “sanctuary campus” in November 2016 after Trump was first elected president.

California State University System 

The California State University system, which is made up of 23 campuses, released guidance stating its campuses will not work with federal law enforcement. 

“University Police (UPD) will not undertake joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement authorities to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law,” according to guidelines from the university system.

“If you observe ICE employees on campus and have concerns about their activities, call your designated campus official or UPD,” the guidelines state. 

University of California System

The University of California system, made up of 10 campuses, will not work with federal immigration authorities and vowed to protect the personal information of illegal immigrant students.

“No UC campus police department will join those state and local law enforcement agencies that have entered into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or undertake other joint efforts with federal, state or local law enforcement agencies, to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law,” campus guidelines state.

“We will not release immigration status or related information in confidential student records, without permission from a student to federal agencies or other parties without a judicial warrant, a subpoena, a court order or as otherwise required by law,” the university system affirmed.

[RELATED: University of Oklahoma boasts ‘safe place’ for illegal alien students]

In stark contrast to the universities listed, institutions in Florida are taking the opposite approach. 

Florida colleges and universities are cooperating with ICE under state policy directives and 287(g) agreements, which empower local law enforcement, including campus security, to enforce federal immigration law.

Campus Reform has contacted the universities mentioned in this article for comment. This article will be updated accordingly. 

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