Towson University gives faculty instructions on dealing with immigration officers

By Sarah Sternhagen, Editor-in-Chief

Towson Honors College faculty should immediately contact the university’s legal representation should U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement enter their classrooms, according to an email from administrators The Towerlight obtained.

Towson officials emailed those instructions to Honors College faculty late last month. They later specified faculty members should ask ICE agents to wait outside their classrooms and then contact the university’s General Counsel.

A Towson spokesperson declined to comment on the message, saying it contained legal advice. 

Some colleges have begun advising faculty and staff about procedures should ICE officials come to their classrooms. The instructions follow the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ending a longstanding policy that barred ICE agents from arresting undocumented immigrants at designated sensitive locations, like schools and colleges.

Homeland Security made the announcement after a directive from President Donald Trump to allow ICE access to previously determined “sensitive” areas.