ICE on campus: What to know and what to do
On Jan. 20, 2025, the federal government rescinded guidelines that previously restricted immigration enforcement officers from entering protected areas like schools, churches, and medical facilities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers can now enter publicly accessible areas on St. Kate’s campus during normal operating hours.
Jacqueline Font-Guzmán, Senior Vice President for Equity and Belonging, said that campus administration is “actively monitoring the orders, as they are published, to understand the impact on St. Catherine University's role and function. Any actions taken or decisions made at St. Kate’s are always guided by our values: Academic Excellence; Community; Integrity; Social Justice; Reflection.”
The Center for Equity and Belonging hosted two trainings on Feb 11th and 13th educating students/faculty about their rights surrounding immigration enforcement. Josibeth Aguilera ‘25 (Political Science, International Studies) was in attendance.
“It was helpful to learn the difference between a judicial versus an ICE administration issued warrant,” Aguilera explained. “I’ve heard that there is a difference but I had never seen them before.”
Images of warrants from https://projectsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Warrant-Fact-Sheet.pdf
JoNes VanHecke, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, also spoke at the CFW Student Senate Meeting on Feb. 11. She encouraged students to locate and keep on their person a red card, which contains bullet point information about what to do if approached by an ICE officer. The cards are located in various offices around campus and can be found in English, Spanish, Hmong and Arabic.
An email from President Evan’s office on Jan 28th laid out the following procedures to follow if approached by an ICE officer on campus:
“Stay calm. If others are present, encourage them to remain calm as well.
Politely state: “I cannot give you permission to enter or provide information. I am obligated to contact University administration before you proceed.”
Immediately contact the Department of Public Safety at (651) 690-8888 or via the LiveSafe app. DPS will come to support you.
Notify University Administration:
Legal Officer: Todd Schnell, 612-443-1914, twschnell325@stkate.edu;
Human Resources: Latisha Dawson, 651-690-8103 ledawson536@stkate.edu;
Equity and Inclusion: Jackie Font-Guzmán, 651-690-6643 jnfontguzman597@stkate.edu; or
Student Affairs: JoNes VanHecke, 651-690-6778 (office) or 507-720-4432 jrvanhecke016@stkate.edu”
The email also explained that you are not obligated to provide information about yourself to ICE officers, nor are you obligated to answer questions from the ICE officer. It is within your right to record the interaction. If officers attempt to enter a non-public area without waiting for an administration member to arrive, you should calmly inform them that you are not authorized to grant access and the officer must wait for you to contact Legal Counsel for assistance.
The Office of Equity and Belonging is open to students for additional support. They stated that “inclusive excellence is woven into every aspect of university life” and that “true belonging happens when we come together as a community, valuing all identities and celebrating diversity as a source of strength.”
Font-Guzmán spoke a word of encouragement to students as well, saying, “We will navigate these challenging times as we have in the past: together, guided by our values, with a spirit of inclusion, compassion, and care.”
