Undocumented students at U.S. colleges and universities have faced growing uncertainty in recent years – even those who have somewhat more security through their participation in the imperiled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program – and things just got more tense with the Trump administration’s recent decision to step up enforcement of deportation orders.
In June, President Trump announced that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, also known as ICE, would increase efforts nationwide to deport individuals who lost their cases before immigration judges and have refused deportation orders.
A few days later, he said efforts that were set to begin June 23 would be delayed for two weeks to give Congress time to close loopholes in laws that have contributed to record numbers of migrants illegally crossing the southern border or presenting themselves for asylum.
Some of those on deportation lists are likely to be students, as the numbers also include migrants whose requests for asylum were deemed invalid or who had failed to show up for scheduled hearings.
The layered uncertainties have forced many colleges and universities to walk a fine line between supporting their students and not obstructing justice.
At the 13 colleges of the Colorado Community College System, which together serve 130,000 students at 40 locations in a state that is “at the forefront of making sure undocumented students have access to higher education and access to financial aid,” the balancing act means providing resources to concerned students who seek support and complying with legal requests that may be made by federal law enforcement agencies, said Fiona Lytle, the system’s chief communications officer and legislative liaison.
The system does not track numbers of undocumented students, but the colleges’ presidents and student affairs leaders work directly with students and participate in leadership meetings that keep them abreast of ways to be supportive, whether an issue on campus or referrals to services such as legal guidance off campus.
