A West Chester University student has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to reports from students and multiple members of the faculty. The student’s name has been withheld for the sake of protecting their family, though the student’s current status and location remain unknown to students and faculty. While it has been confirmed that the student was a currently enrolled West Chester University student, it is unclear whether their detainment by ICE took place on campus.
ICE’s presence in Chester County has greatly increased following Donald Trump’s inaugurationon Jan. 20, with multiple raids taking place in primarily agricultural areas. A WCU student researcher working with a panel of faculty members on a community development project reported that ICE has also been targeting lower-income resources in Chester County, including food banks and hospitals, though their methods for doing so were not specified.
Students across Pennsylvania are experiencing similar detainment or deportation nightmares. At the beginning of April, a Temple University student was forced to “self-deport” after having their student visa revoked by US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and only a few days later, three University of Pennsylvania students also lost their visas. Both Temple and UPenn released statements to their communities following these incidents. WCU students and faculty who are aware of this situation are pointing out that our administration has remained silent on this situation.
According to a CNN report, over 1,000 international students and recent graduates of US universities have had their student visas or statuses revoked.
Given their recent crackdowns on campus expression, such as the newly implemented Posting Policy, some students are concerned that WCU’s desire to remain “politically neutral” means they are abandoning their marginalized communities in favor of a “clean” and “inoffensive” campus.
“I think the continuous disappearances, especially from college campuses, are absolutely abhorrent,” an anonymous WCU student said of the nationwide epidemic of student detainment. Another WCU student said that “the attacks and threats students are now being faced with not only hinders community building, but places marginalized students in a constant state of fear.”
At this moment, the reason behind the WCU student’s detainment is unknown.
The Quad reached out to university administration seeking confirmation on whether or not a student has been detained by ICE, as well as requesting additional comment. We received no response.
Elijah Fischer is a third-year English major. AF997636@wcupa.edu.