The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has been spotted in locations across Ohio causing increased social media discourse and concerns about the future.
According to AP News, ICE averaged 311 daily arrests in the year ending Sept. 30, before surging to 1,179 by Jan. 27.
Since President Donald Trump has been in office, he has issued multiple executive orders regarding immigration including "Protecting the American People Against Invasion" on Jan. 20 stating, “The Secretary of Homeland Security shall promptly take appropriate action to use all other provisions of the immigration laws or any other Federal law … to ensure the efficient and expedited removal of aliens from the United States.”
Opponents of the order have concerns about legal citizens and immigrants being profiled and detained by ICE because they do not have their paperwork on them.
Olivia Raney, an MFA student studying communication media arts, is a member of the International Student Union and has been advocating for international students to know their rights in case of an emergency.
Raney said it is important for immigrants to have their documentation papers by keeping a copy of them on their phone and be aware that law enforcement cannot legally enter their residence without a permit.
Raney said that keeping people informed is an important way to combat strict government enforcement of immigration laws.
“I think the more citizens and non-citizens know their rights, the stronger we are and the less susceptible we are to intimidation,” Raney said.
Aiden Fox, the political director for the Ohio University College Republicans, said international students should not be concerned about any changes made by the Trump administration because they have gone through the appropriate legal processes.
“If they’re here on valid student visas, there’s nothing to be worried about,” Fox said. “The crackdown has never been on legal immigration, that’s never been a focus of the Trump administration. It’s always been illegal immigrants.”
Although international students maintain a legal right to stay in the U.S., Trump has made statements about changing the parameters of student visas in the future.
Daniel Chand, a board member of the ACLU of Ohio, has been working with the ACLU to educate local law enforcement agencies about the effects of these policies and immigrants about their rights when it comes to immigration enforcement.
Chand said the Trump administration is trying to limit the number of student visas given to international students and limit the number of years students can stay in the U.S. The proposed change to student visas could limit countries like North Korea, Iran, Sudan and Syria to have less eligibility for student visas and a shorter term for their visas.
Trump’s executive order also placed stricter rules on international students stating that any minor violation of laws could result in deportation or revoking of a visa.
Additionally, Trump has not only been creating new policies but also placing stricter enforcement on old ones.
The Immigration and Nationality Act was enacted in 1952 and includes Section 287(g) which says state and local law agencies can enforce federal immigration laws in collaboration with the federal government.
Trump has been emphasizing stricter enforcement of the section, and, as a result, ICE has been working with local law enforcement to locate and detain immigrants, Chand said.
“Your immigration status is not criminal law,” Chand said. “If you’re an undocumented immigrant, you haven’t broken any criminal laws. Police and sheriff’s deputies don’t really have any power to detain or arrest you.”
Chand also said the use of local law enforcement to detain immigrants brings unnecessary issues to departments. It makes immigrants afraid to work with local law enforcement and puts a financial strain on many smaller police departments as they have to put extra time and resources into immigration along with their normal duties.
Fox argued detaining and deporting immigrants is a facet of keeping communities safe because there is an issue of rising crime in the U.S. Fox said local law enforcement helping to deport illegal immigrants and legislation, such as the Laken Riley Act, can help make neighborhoods safer.
Raney believes increased deportations will not only affect immigrant families but also communities, workplaces and schools, as well as negatively impact society as a whole.
“A lot of American citizens who support Trump’s immigration policies don’t understand that it’s people that they know and interact with that will be affected,” Raney said. “They think it’s some other person somewhere else, but it’s the people that you live and work around every single day.”
