Dear Toros,
Today, our university community endured a new challenge when officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived on campus and used one of our parking lots for a brief time. Their presence here was understandably disheartening and upsetting for many in our community. While there was no enforcement action being taken on our campus, and no one from the CSUDH community was targeted by ICE, I am still outraged that these agents saw fit to turn a place of higher education into a staging area for their enforcement activities taking place elsewhere. This is a particular violation at CSUDH, given the student population that we serve and our mission to uphold the dignity and humanity of our student body. Our campus is and must remain a safe place for our entire community.
I want to clear up a specific misconception. Many in our community have expressed disappointment that CSUDH allowed or otherwise enabled this activity today. The unfortunate reality is that the university cannot stop any vehicle from entering campus and parking in one of our lots, ICE or otherwise. Not only is there currently no legal approach for achieving this, but given the size of our campus and the number of entrances, it is not logistically possible, either. I have contacted the Chancellor’s Office and California Attorney General about this issue. They are reviewing options toward a future posture that could be more protective of our campus spaces, but the outcome of that is not yet clear.
Others would suggest we engage in more extreme or extralegal actions to keep agents off of our campus, such as barricades or personally blocking our entrances. This is an understandable sentiment, but misguided. Many of us have seen posts on social media, or news reports, in which ICE agents are seen detaining individuals without showing a warrant or even legitimate identification of themselves as federal law enforcement officials. ICE has detained fully documented immigrants, and sometimes even citizens, who have committed no crime other than being targeted because of their ethnicity. In this climate, I cannot and will not place a target on the backs of the vulnerable individuals in our community by grandstanding.
What we can do is continue to raise our voices and support each other in times of need. Our staff have reached out to elected leaders at every level of government to let them know about today’s events and the concern that they caused. Below are resources I am sharing for those who may be able to take advantage of them. As future guidance becomes available, we will share that with the community in a timely fashion. Remember always that we are stronger together, and will get through these times together as well.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Parham, Ph.D.
President
Resources
As a reminder, the resources below are available to all members of the university community, with several of these available virtually. Many of these are provided by off-campus entities and can be accessed by family members or friends in need. Please share these with any individuals who may benefit from having access to additional information.
- CSUDH Immigrant Justice Center (IJC) offers a host of services, including free access to immigration attorneys.
- Student Psychological Services offers confidential counseling
- Employee Assistance Program for faculty and staff
- Immigration Enforcement Guidance for DH Campus Community Members
- CSU Legal support services
- Immigration Enforcement Concerns Resources for CSU Faculty and Staff
- FAQs for CSU employees about federal immigration enforcement on university property
- CSU Resources, Guides, and FAQs
- Free Immigration Legal Services from CARECEN College Legal Services
- Know Your Rights cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
- Southern California Rapid Response Networks to Report ICE
- Strategies and Resources to Support Toros Impacted by the Immigration System
