United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, was spotted in downtown Ann Arbor last weekend after expanding operations in Metro Detroit. Their presence has sparked concerns among University of Michigan community members about how federal immigration enforcement interacts with University policies.
Following President Donald Trump’s series of executive orders targeting immigration and his promise of the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, ICE has escalated enforcement activities in many U.S. cities. The ICE Detroit Field Office, part of the enforcement arm for the DHS, announced Monday that it was working to apprehend those in the region violating federal immigration policy.
While no public records exist of ICE presence on the University’s campus in recent years, in 2024, ICE made 2,239 arrests in the Detroit area of responsibility, which includes Michigan and Ohio.
Public Health professor William Lopez, who studies immigration enforcement, told The Michigan Daily he has observed a rise in ICE activity in Southeast Michigan in recent weeks compared to his previous 15 years at the University. He attributed the recent ICE presence downtown to the priorities set by the Trump administration.
“That (ICE activity downtown) happened now at the beginning of the administrative change, I don’t believe it was an accident,” Lopez said. “I do believe it was part of the administrative change. I just simply believe that ICE (is) at a minimum believing they can drive around with less impunity and fear than they used to have.”
A recent DHS directive rescinded guidance from former President Joe Biden that had established protected areas in which ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol were instructed to limit enforcement activities. These areas, designated based on their importance to community well-being, included college campuses.
Despite the updated guidance, Lopez does not expect widespread ICE enforcement on campus in the near future.
“On the University of Michigan campus, first of all, I would highly doubt that that would happen,” Lopez said. “For the moment, I’m confident that that is not where the Trump administration is going.”
ICE activity in Ann Arbor is not unprecedented. In 2017, at the beginning of Trump’s first term, ICE agents conducted a raid at Sava’s, a popular downtown restaurant, detaining three workers and questioning others about their immigration status.
As a public institution, the University is subject to federal regulations, meaning ICE agents can enter public areas like the Diag and sidewalks without a warrant. However, they must obtain a judicial warrant to access private spaces including residence halls, classrooms and faculty offices. Student privacy laws, such as FERPA, also restrict the University from sharing personal information, including immigration status, without consent or a legal order.
In a recent email to the University community, Chris Kolb, the University vice president for government relations, and Tim Lynch, the University vice president and general counsel, clarified the rules ICE agents would have to follow if they were to enter campus.
“Law enforcement officers may enter public areas without a warrant,” Kolb and Lynch wrote. “However, access is limited in areas restricted by university-issued ID card, locked doors or monitored entryways, including the university residence halls, as well areas with concerns for privacy, safety and operational needs such as administrative or faculty offices, classrooms and laboratories. ICE agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to enter most private or limited access areas on campus.”
Kolb and Lynch also urged individuals to document interactions if safe to do so and to immediately contact the Division of Public Safety and Security.
A recent guidance policy sent out by Kolb and Lynch clarified not all warrants are the same and the type of warrant ICE presents determines whether compliance is required. An administrative warrant does not require cooperation. A judicial warrant, signed by a federal judge, does require compliance. These are issued when ICE has provided probable cause for an arrest, search or seizure.
DPSS Official Order #21, issued by executive director Eddie Washington in 2017, states campus security officers do not directly enforce immigration laws but may become involved under specific circumstances, including enforcement action that involves a national security or terrorism matter, a subject with an outstanding criminal warrant, a pending felony case, a known gang member, imminent risk of harm or risk of evidence destruction.
In an email to The Daily, Melissa Overton, DPSS public information officer, wrote that the department’s primary role is to ensure safety and uphold University policies. If ICE agents were to enter a building without prior notice, DPSS officers may respond to assess the situation.
“DPSS serves as the university’s primary safety and security resource and assists in coordinating the appropriate response to federal immigration enforcement activity on campus,” Overton wrote. “DPSS’s role is not to intervene in immigration matters but to help assess the situation, provide guidance and ensure that university policies and legal rights are upheld.”
Although there is no official data on the number of undocumented students at the University, a survey analysis by the American Immigration Council found there are about 408,000 undocumented college students nationally.
LSA senior Melanie Martinez, an immigrant protected from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, is in the process of obtaining a marriage-based green card. While on campus, she found a home in the Student Community of Progressive Empowerment, a U-M student organization for undocumented and DACA students. Martinez told The Daily that Trump’s immigration policy has caused anxiety among her peers.
“The air isn’t at ease; you can feel the nervousness of people,” Martinez said. “I’ve been receiving texts from family and friends, whether on campus or off campus, saying, ‘Don’t go to Pontiac,’ or ‘Don’t go to Detroit,’ ‘Don’t go to Wayne’ and ‘Don’t go to Dearborn — there are ICE agents there.’ … The community in general is definitely a little bit on edge because everything’s up in the air.”
In an email to The Daily, Ann Lin, a Ford School associate professor who studies immigration, explained how the uncertainty surrounding immigration enforcement has broader implications for students’ mental health and educational opportunities.
“Because ICE has limited power to enter private and non-public spaces, undocumented people often feel safer staying out of public areas,” Lin wrote. “However, that obviously limits students’ ability to attend classes, participate in activities and work … This in turn limits the benefit they get from their education and can be a significant challenge for their mental health.”
Lin emphasized the importance of understanding one’s legal rights when interacting with ICE agents.
“Anyone ICE talks to has the right to state that they would prefer to remain silent, to refuse to answer questions, to request a lawyer, and to request permission to leave,” Lin wrote. “But lying to a federal law enforcement officer is against the law and carries criminal penalties, so don’t do that.”
Christine Suavé, policy and communications manager for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, offered further guidance for students in potential interactions with ICE agents, including seeking assistance from Student Legal Services.
“I would also emphasize that it’s important to support students so they are able to focus on learning,” Suavé wrote. “Students and staff who are fearful of immigration enforcement may want to review their rights and steps they can take to prepare. Every person in the U.S. has constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent if they interact with immigration enforcement.”
Daily News Editors Emma Spring and Edith Pendell can be reached at sprinemm@umich.edu and ependell@umich.edu.
The post UMich considers potential impact of increased ICE presence appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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