As U.S. ICE arrests skyrocket under the Trump administration, some University of Maryland students are campaigning for administrators to publicly declare this university a sanctuary campus.

Becoming a sanctuary campus means this university would pledge non-compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and offer resources for undocumented and immigrant students, according to the campaign’s online petition.

The campaign, which was created by this university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, has collected more than 2,700 petition signatures since it was officially launched in September. Its co-sponsors include the Graduate Labor Union Organizing Committee, United Academics of Maryland-University of Maryland and more than a dozen student groups.

“I just want people to feel that even if the rest of the country is totally crazy, they’ll be safe when they’re at UMD,” said Nick Cosgrove, the co-chair of this university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter.

[UMD students demand transparency on removed immigrant, undocumented resources webpage]

The petition demands this university:

  • Refuse ICE access to non-public areas of this university without a judicial warrant
  • Refuse to supply ICE agents with information about community members without a lawful court order
  • Alert students, faculty and staff when ICE is on campus.
  • Preserve and provide university resources for immigrant and undocumented students.

The Diamondback asked this university about its immigration policies and procedures and was referred to a campuswide email from February that shared guidance about how community members should respond if immigration agents are on campus.

The email said faculty and staff should not invite or allow ICE agents to enter non-public areas of this university and said they should not share anyone’s personal information with the agents without first contacting the University of Maryland Police and the university’s Office of General Counsel.

Additionally, employees should not interfere with the actions of the agents or “do anything that could be construed as an unwillingness to cooperate,” the February email read.

The email guidance aligns with the Maryland Values Act — a state law passed in April that prohibits ICE from accessing and operating in certain sensitive, non-public areas, like schools and hospitals.

But Graduate Labor Union organizer Rose Ying said this university’s ICE policies are not clear enough to students.

“Our international grads have not been happy with the lack of information,” Ying, a neuroscience and cognitive science graduate student, said. “As a domestic student, I’ve also not been happy with the lack of information because my international friends are all super anxious and concerned.”

If the sanctuary campus campaign is successful, it would send a strong message that this university cares about its community members, said Jade Olson, the communications chair for UAM-UMD.

Olson, who is an associate clinical communications professor, said becoming a sanctuary campus is important both morally and practically.

“I can’t do my job if my students are afraid to come to class,” Olson said.

Gerson Rosales, a postdoctoral fellow in the history department who studies migration, said the university declaring itself a sanctuary campus could come with risks.

[College Park, Prince George’s County no longer listed as sanctuary jurisdictions]

“The [Trump] administration has made it clear that they’re targeting sanctuary cities,” Rosales said. “So the campus that declares itself a sanctuary for migrants could also face some similar attacks.”

While the declaration could create solidarity with the immigrant community, consequences could include federal agents coming to campus, suspension of federal grant money or issues with access to funding, Rosales said.

But some students supporting the sanctuary campus campaign said the risks are worth the benefits.

“There’s always risk involved in acting out against the Trump administration,” said Annabelle Hurley, a freshman mathematics major and a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter. “But I think that it’s honestly a necessary risk we need to take because of how severe the damage ICE is causing.”

The next step of the campaign is to deliver the petition to this university’s administration, Cosgrove said. The campaign hopes to reach 4,000 signatures, which is about 10 percent of the student body, by the time they deliver the petition, the sophomore American studies and communications major added.

The Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter also plans to coordinate a rally and host letter writing sessions as part of the campaign, Cosgrove said. He said people can support the campaign by signing the petition or joining the organization.

Olson encouraged students to get involved and educate themselves on immigration issues.

“A lot of students might not be aware of the severity of this issue,” Olson said. “This is a real opportunity for students to learn about what’s happening right now and what they can do to protect their peers and their communities.”