Breaking the ICE: conversations with Chapman about immigration

Photo by Easton Clark, Photography Editor

On Aug. 22, an email was sent from Angela Lederach, a professor of peace studies, to select faculty notifying them of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Orange, which were allegedly conducted in compliance with the Orange Police Department (OPD). 

The email also listed possible courses of action that faculty could take, including contacting the mayor’s office regarding city policy and cooperation with ICE and requesting updated campus policies from Chapman administration.

However, in an interview with The Panther, Orange Mayor Dan Slater denied all OPD involvement.

“(ICE) used to inform us, but because of all the pushback they are getting when they show up, they are not informing our police department,” Slater said. “Our police department does not cooperate with ICE. Our police department follows state law, which says we are not to assist with immigration enforcement.”

In Orange County, cities are beginning to push back against ICE raids as city council members from Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Irvine have voted to join a federal lawsuit.

Nevertheless, Chapman campus protocols remain unchanged. 

“There is a lot of hubbub, but nothing has really changed in terms of how we do things,” said Chapman Dean of Students Jerry Price. “Our obligations legally have not changed.”

“Any law enforcement official can go into any space on campus (that) your parents could go into (and) they can't go into any space your parents can’t go into,” he told The Panther. “They can walk into Argyros Forum, but they can’t go into a classroom.”

Price ensured that if enforcement wants access to a non-public space, they are required to present a lawful court order.

“That said, if someone does show up with the appropriate court order, we are going to cooperate. It's not appropriate for us to risk the institution, the institutional resources and other things that benefit lots of students to defy a lawful court order,” Price said.

Yet, student concerns remain, such as those voiced by freshman film and television production major Arwan Shrivastava.

“I'm an immigrant to the country, but I'm also a US citizen,” he said. “My main worries are that ICE has extensive overreach and targets minorities despite the fact that they are legal citizens of the US. So people like me are at risk of being deported despite being entitled to live here just as anyone else is.”

Further, many concerns extend to the security of peers.

“While I don’t have any concerns for my own safety, I recognize the concerns of others, and I worry for other students' safety,” said Bella Graham, a senior double majoring in philosophy and psychology. “No one should live in fear of going to school.” 

Unease only increased after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing ICE to stop people in LA based on factors such as race and language. 

“I think that this current Supreme Court ruling only emphasizes the implicit issues deep within the system of ICE,” Shrivastava said. “By allowing the use of racial profiling to target immigrants, it allows ICE agents to further line their pockets whilst simultaneously compromising our rights as individuals.”

The ruling has triggered changes in various cities of Los Angeles County, such as Long Beach, which has canceled its annual Día de Los Muertos Parade out of fear of immigration sweeps. 

“It is saddening to know people are being discriminated against solely due to their outward appearance,” said Jo Vega, a freshman double majoring in political science and English. “As a Latinx person who was born in California, I know that I look Mexican. ICE occupying our own spaces of living and incriminating people based on racist stereotypes is terrifying to say the least.”

While Price does not foresee such extensive measures being taken at Chapman, he said he could understand how such concerns can influence students’ decisions to partake in school events or gatherings.

“If (ICE) is going to come into this area, they are gonna focus on those (tourist) dense areas,” Price said. “I think they would probably see (Chapman) as kind of being sidetracked when there are these other venues that offer a higher propensity of finding whatever they are looking for.”

Furthermore, Price believes it would be more likely for a campus with 40,000 students to be targeted than Chapman, which has a student population of around 9,000.

“I feel like, for that analytical reason, odds aren't strong they are gonna target us, but we also don't know,” he said.

Chapman’s close proximity to tourist destinations deepens Shrivastava’s worries. 

“The issue is that we're in a densely populated area with major tourist attractions: Disneyland, Honda Center, Knotts Berry Farm and the greater LA County,” Shrivastava said. “ICE often targets areas with lots of people due to the fact that they have quotas they need to achieve for their own pay, so sweeping deportations in large areas is a big concern for me.”

Visa concerns also remain central to students after last semester, when thousands of student visas were revoked, three of which were from Chapman students.

“The international student community at Chapman should feel safe and protected by its administration, and its administration should be doing everything in its power to protect and serve the best interests of its students,” said Graham.

Shrivastava vocalized a stance centered on unity, with hopes that the Chapman administration would advocate on behalf of its students and faculty who come from various backgrounds.

“I feel like it's important for (Chapman’s administration) to advocate for our immigrant population here at Chapman through a stance of solidarity, and maybe increased security on campus,” he said. “I can only hope more (administrators) speak out and try to fight back since that's the only way we, as a country, can get through this.”

Although much remains unknown on the national level, Price wants to ensure every Chapman student that they are entitled to certain privacies.

“I want students to know they have rights — both California and federal rights — regarding where they live and the privacy of their information; that is our biggest priority, so we are going to protect that,” he told The Panther.

Vega said it’s not just their time at Chapman they worry about, it’s the long-term effects as well.

“I'm scared for my future in politics and journalism,” Vega said. “I am surrounded with the eerie fact that America is breaking down and our generation is the only thing that this country has left.”

Editors Note: After this story was published, Angela Lederach informed The Panther that she had a follow-up conversation with OPD, in which they confirmed that they are not working with ICE.