As of July 24, Florida Atlantic University Police Department has officially signed an agreement to be listed as a participating agency in the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) program, which is a partnership that will enforce certain immigration laws on school grounds. 

ICE is partnering with state and local law enforcement to “identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S.,” according to the federal law enforcement agency’s website. In April, a university official told the University Press that this agreement was “pending.” Students held an anti-ICE protest the same month on the Boca Raton campus because the agreement was underway. 

The university has not yet released a public statement about the update at the time of publication. However, FAU is now one of at least 11 other public universities in Florida participating in the 287(g) program, joining schools like Florida International University, University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida. 

FAUPD’s agreement is for the Broward County area and follows the “Task Force Model,” one of three enforcement structures under the 287(g) program. This model permits trained campus officers to enforce immigration law during routine encounters like traffic stops or patrols, including questioning and detaining individuals suspected of immigration violations, according to the ICE’s website. 

As of July 28, ICE reports 867 total official 287(g) agreements across 40 states, with 19 with a pending status. This increase in ICE partnerships across Florida’s state university system stems from an executive directive from Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this February. DeSantis instructed state law enforcement agencies, including campus police, to actively cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The April 16 protest was organized by the student group Solidarity and drew over two dozen participants who marched across the Boca Raton campus with signs and chants. Students expressed concerns about the agreement’s implications for undocumented and international students, criticizing the university’s lack of transparency. 

Critics of the 287(g) program argue that the program can lead to racial profiling and decrease trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, according to a NBC 6 South Florida report. 

An anonymous student who participated in the April protest said the partnership has created fear on campus, warning that students now “have to be extra careful because police will arrest them for anything,” with the risk of being “deported without due process.”

According to ICE’s website, the 287(g) program improves national security and public safety by establishing stronger coordination with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove “criminal aliens.” 

An FAU professor who comes from an immigrant background wishes to remain anonymous to protect their safety and said they view this less as a concern and more as a safeguard. They added that the key question is how those trained officers will perform.

“Many students might think this is a sellout. But I am wondering whether this is a strategic move to keep our students safer than they otherwise would be if actual ICE agents were on campus,” the professor told the University Press. 

Editor-in-Chief Michael Cook contributed to this report. 

Jada Strayer is the Political reporter for the University Press. Email her at jstrayer2023@fau.edu or contact her on Instagram @jadastrayer for information regarding this or other stories.