The Trump administration has dismantled long-standing policies that protected sensitive locations like schools and churches from immigration enforcement, a move that could have significant implications for higher education.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman announced Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would now be allowed to conduct arrests at these sites, a departure from policies enacted during the Obama and Biden administrations.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” Huffman stated. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
Previously, ICE agents operated under a 2011 directive to avoid making arrests in places like schools, hospitals, and religious institutions unless absolutely necessary. Advocates for immigrant rights warn that revoking these protections could discourage undocumented students from attending school and seeking education, creating a chilling effect in academic communities.
The policy change also coincides with the administration’s decision to phase out parole programs that allowed migrants temporary legal status to work and live in the United States. Huffman criticized the Biden administration’s expansion of these programs, stating, “The Biden-Harris Administration abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country. This action will return the humanitarian parole program to its original purpose of looking at migrants on a case-by-case basis.”
Higher education institutions, particularly those with significant immigrant and undocumented student populations, are bracing for the potential fallout. Experts worry the policy shift could undermine efforts to create safe and inclusive campuses.
Advocacy groups have responded with urgency, urging affected communities to learn their legal rights and seek support from local organizations. Critics argue that the policy risks stoking fear and discouraging individuals from accessing critical educational and community resources, leaving institutions in uncharted territory as they navigate the policy’s broader effects.
