Since Donald Trump’s reelection on Jan. 20, he has been calling for a “mass deportation” in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would locate, detain, and deport as many illegal noncitizens as possible. They have begun their intense searches in the metropolitan cities with large immigrant communities of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Detroit.

Key Point

• The guidelines to ICE for which people classified as “noncitizens” can be quickly arrested and deported have been expanded to include a much larger number of people than ever before.

• ICE raids are currently focusing on large cities with large immigrant populations. As of Feb. 21, ICE has arrested over 14,000 people and 37,660 have been deported.

• While ICE agents are allowed on public campuses, they are not allowed access to most sections that are locked or require use of a school-issued ID card.

What can you do? Know your rights in case you are approached by ICE agents. You can ask to see a warrant, not answer questions until an attorney is present, and document the encounter.

Stay informed Keep up to date with where the ICE raids are happening, they are being reported on constantly from dozens of sources. Stay aware of what new bills and laws are being proposed and approved that affect the situation.

Don’t interfere The best thing to do when you see ICE agents is to keep track of the situation from a far distance. They have no reason to pay attention to you if you are interfering with what they are doing, you have the ability to contact the correct people and notify them of the agency’s presence.

Be prepared If you believe your family may be the target of ICE agents, have a family plan prepared, medications, and food and water packed in easy-to-grab bags in case.

In past years, ICE had limits set on how they conducted their arrests and deportations; they needed warrants to enter certain places, were meant to focus on detaining criminal or dangerous illegal noncitizens, and needed approval from higher-ups to pursue certain types of cases. Since the end of January, ICE has been granted expanded powers to arrest and deport “noncitizens.” The administration has called for a change in the process of “expedited removal” which was meant to be used within very specific circumstances; needing the noncitizen to have only been in the U.S. for 14 days or less, not claim asylum, and be within 100 miles of the border. This has been expanded to any illegal noncitizen within 100 miles of the border for two years or less. The Trump administration is attempting to encompass as many illegal noncitizens as possible within this process so Trump can show how quickly his campaign promise is being fulfilled. As of Feb. 21, according to Reuters, since Trump assumed office, ICE has arrested over 14,000 people and 37,660 have been deported.

The rising appearances of ICE agents in Detroit began over the weekend of Jan. 27 as well as in metropolitan cities across the country where large raids were occurring on farms and in factories. X (formerly Twitter) accounts representing the Homeland Security Investigation from each city being hit by ICE agents like L.A., Atlanta, Detroit, and Phoenix, posted photos of arrests made by ICE and included a hotline “to report suspicious activity.”

Detroit and surrounding cities have not been taking these situations lightly. Some cities in Michigan, such as Grand Rapids, have had their police departments say that it’s not their job to enforce immigration status.

“We are not to inquire about immigration status. We’re not even asking about it. Even if it was proactively provided to us, we are prohibited from detaining based on immigration status,” said Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom.

Along with this, several colleges have sent out emails to their students and staff briefing them on the current political situation, what rights they have as legal citizens, and what to do if ICE officers infiltrate the campus. Wayne State University, University of Michigan - Dearborn, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, and Henry Ford College have all sent out one or more emails that explicitly state that while they do not condone illegal immigration they do remind students of the limitations of ICE.

The main points of the emails sent by the college administrations all focus on the fact that private areas of campus are not accessible to ICE agents, recommend contacting the college police or public safety department if any outside agencies are encountered on campus, and direct any questions from ICE or other outside agencies to the correct department at the college.

Henry Ford College recommends directing any questions regarding the options for HFC students to the HFC registrar’s office at registrar@hfcc.edu.