Michigan State University’s top officials said Friday that despite some of the institution’s international students having their visas revoked by the federal government, campus police still wouldn’t be required to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the event of a deportation.
From the outset of the second Trump administration in January, uncertainty mounted at MSU around the extent to which campus law enforcement would assist the federal government if its crackdown on legal and illegal immigration were to find its way to the East Lansing campus.
MSU has previously moved to quell those concerns. In February, MSU Police Chief Mike Yankowski told The State News that his department does not inquire about students’ immigration statuses, and that the only instance in which it would help federal agents would be to execute a criminal arrest warrant, as it is legally obligated to.
But with the announcement of international students' visas being revoked, the prospect of ICE agents coming to campus seemingly becomes more real: When a student visa — typically classified as F-1 or M-1 — is terminated, that student is required to leave the country immediately. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are also allowed to investigate to confirm the student’s departure, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Despite that shift in circumstances, MSU is maintaining that campus police would not have to assist or provide any information to ICE agents in the event of a deportation.
Board Chair Kelly Tebay told reporters following Friday’s board meeting that top MSU officials have consulted with Yankowski on the matter, and that it is something "we care about deeply."
"(Immigration enforcement) is a federal issue and it is not directly related to (MSU Police's) campus safety responsibilities," she said.
President Kevin Guskiewicz added, "we vigorously protect the privacy rights of our students, and we are very clear about that."
MSU’s approach to international students with revoked visas differs markedly from some other universities. As reported by The Tampa Bay Times, several universities in Florida have signed agreements with ICE to partner on immigration enforcement.
The university’s tact seems in line with a broader pushback, albeit subtle, to some of the Trump administration’s moves.
President Kevin Guskiewicz, in a campus email sent earlier this week, critiqued the Trump administration for revoking student visas, and tied the university’s strength to the presence of international students and scholars. Speaking of a history of international partnerships at MSU, Guskiewicz said in that letter, "this moment calls on all of us to uphold this legacy."
The university has also defended diversity, equity and inclusion despite the Trump administration’s moves to eradicate such measures, and criticized its cuts to federal funding for research.
Administration reporter Emilio Perez Ibarguen contributed reporting.
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