At Fairfield University, disbelief and fear manifest in students who could be impacted by the Trump administration’s change in immigration policy.
As part of the new directives, the Department of Homeland Security issued new guidelines allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to raid schools, churches and hospitals, which were considered to be “sensitive areas” under the Biden administration.
“I thought ICE wasn’t allowed on the campus of schools,” states a first-year student with undocumented status enrolled at the N. Benson Road campus. “This means that campus is not safe for me,” expresses the student who was granted anonymity to discuss the issue.
After President Donald Trump returned to the White House for his second term, he enacted a slew of executive orders regarding immigration, and a statement from the Department of Homeland Security communicates that “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens […] Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
Jennifer Anderson, Fairfield University’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, acknowledges the Trump immigration policy change: “As with any change in administration, policy adjustments may occur. We closely monitor local, state, and federal changes to ensure compliance with the law while upholding our Jesuit values. Our foremost priority continues to be the academic continuity and the holistic experience of our students, ensuring that Fairfield remains a place where all can thrive.”
However, Anderson adds that the university has not provided formal guidance in response to the policy changes.
One professor The Mirror spoke to on the condition of anonymity says that is a mistake.
They believe “The University should prepare professors to advocate for their students. The policy changes are a form of federal paranoia. Students have enough on their plate without worrying about whether they will lose friends, roommates or family members.”
The Associated Press reports that over this past weekend, ICE confirmed that over 1,200 immigrants with undocumented status have been arrested.
The professor goes on to say, “This new change in immigration policy and the threat of on-campus ICE raids are looming overreaches that get in the way of education and mental health. The misuse of terms mixing immigrant, with illegal, with undocumented, with refugee, and the antiquated term … alien is already resulting in Xenophobia.”
A first-year student enrolled at Bellarmine Campus expresses fear at the lack of awareness of immigration initiatives: “I haven’t heard anything from professors about potential ICE raids, but I’m scared.”
When asked if they believe that students should be provided with materials and resources regarding the intensified immigration enforcement, that student, who was granted anonymity, responded, “Yes. [The] majority of Bellarmine students are immigrants or come from an immigrant household and it’s important to talk about what’s happening in the country right now, and how we can keep ourselves safe and aware.”
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