University of South Florida faculty demand USF police pull out of ICE immigration partnership

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Earlier this month, police at the University of South Florida announced they planned to partner with ICE to enforce immigration laws.

Now, USF faculty have signed on to a letter with other universities demanding that school leaders and campus police pull out of the agreement. They say the agreement erodes trust and sacrifices safety.

On Friday, the USF Faculty Senate endorsed the letter that had been approved by an earlier Advisory Council of Faculty Senates meeting.

The letter was inspired after Florida International University’s faculty senate called on their campus leadership to drop the agreement.

Dr. Scott Perry is the Vice President of the USF Faculty Senate.

“We felt that Florida International should not be the only one to make that statement. And I think there’s power in numbers of the state university speaking with a common voice,” Perry told WMNF.

The letter says the ICE agreements create many challenges, including causing campus police to “divide resources” that should be focused on campus safety, especially in light of “recent events in Florida.”

This month, a shooting at Florida State University left 2 dead.

The letter also says students will live in “continual fear” that campus police may conduct random immigration actions.

Fears that Perry, a history professor at USF, said he’s heard about firsthand.

“We just had a meeting a few hours ago with our graduate students, and some of them, the international students among them are really terrified. They’re asking questions like what kinds of papers do they need to carry around with them? What happens if they carry a passport then lose it? What would happen to them?” Perry said.

He expressed concern over enrollment and international students.

“We’re already in a situation where I think many international students will withdraw their applications and won’t be coming to us in the fall. And in fact, I would advise them probably not to until they feel safe coming into the United States,” Perry told WMNF.

USF Faculty also signed a separate resolution asking for more clarity from university leadership after President Trump revoked the legal status of hundreds of foreign students across the country.

But later Friday, the administration reversed course and said it was restoring students’ legal status.