Florida Universities’ ICE Agreements Spark Fear Among Immigrant Students and Faculty

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:52:00 +0200

Since early 2025, more than a dozen public universities and colleges in Florida—including major institutions such as the University of Florida and Florida International University (FIU)—have entered into agreements that allow their campus police to work in coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These memorandums, approved under Governor Ron DeSantis and supported by policies revived during Donald Trump’s presidency, enable campus police officers to receive ICE training and exercise limited powers of federal immigration officers. Officers can question, detain, and check immigration databases for students believed to be undocumented, effectively erasing the traditional protections that made educational institutions ‘sensitive spaces’ largely exempt from immigration enforcement. At FIU, where the article's authors teach, the new arrangement has triggered widespread anxiety among both local and international students, many of whom fear profiling, detention, or de