President Donald Trump’s administration has continued to detain and seek to deport foreign-born university students and faculty who had valid visas, leading to discussions among Maine university staff and students about how to handle encounters with immigration enforcement agents.
One of the latest headline-grabbing cases came closer to Maine last week, when plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey while she was walking outside near her Boston-area apartment.
The University of Maine System, which has eight institutions, has not yet reported any federal immigration enforcement actions affecting its students or faculty. The Trump administration’s crackdown still resulted in it adding a brief note to its website on Jan. 29 that only said presidents received guidelines from the system “that can be customized with information specific to their university related to immigration enforcement and then shared internally.”
The system’s website has additional information related to the flurry of orders and actions from Trump since he took office in January, including the Republican administration’s move to freeze and then unfreeze federal funding for Maine’s public universities after Trump clashed with Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athlete policies.
It is not clear if all campuses have since issued specific immigration-related guidelines to their communities. A UMS spokesperson did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment. But a copy of the guidelines University of Southern Maine staff and faculty have been given offers a look at a recommended set of steps in encounters with immigration agents.
Lydia Savage, a University of Southern Maine professor who serves as president of the systemwide faculty union, said Monday she and peers received small cards in February that describe what to do if contacted by ICE or Customs and Border Protection officials.
It includes language also featured in a separate document given to USM faculty and staff for situations where an officer approaches them in person in their classroom, office or elsewhere on campus and presents a warrant, subpoena or other official order.
“I understand you are here for law enforcement purposes, but I am not authorized to assist you or accept any documents on behalf of the university,” the document recommends staff and faculty say to a federal officer.
The small cards tell staff and faculty to immediately call the university system’s general counsel at 207-581-5841, with the cards and separate guidance document also telling them to call the school’s public safety department at 207-780-5211 and the press 8 if needed to speak with the on-call police administrator.
If the officer declines to wait, the guidance says, “you should not physically interfere or obstruct their presence on campus” but also notes staff are not required to assist federal agents with apprehensions. The guidance also recommends referring an immigration official to provided numbers for the registrar’s office or human resources office if they contact staff and faculty electronically or by phone to request student or employee information, with USM noting that federal law and university policy generally protect the privacy of student and employee records.
Lastly, the guidance says students with “concerns around immigration issues” should also refer to resources such as the National Immigrant Justice Center for assistance. Students, staff and family members could also use campus support or employee assistance services, it says.
