The Taylor family has provided generous support for low-income and first-generation students at WashU, many of whom come from immigrant backgrounds. However, grassroots organizations and activists have recently protested their company Enterprise Rent-A-Car, alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are renting Enterprise’s vehicles. As such, I believe that the Taylor family is actively complicit in DHS and ICE’s human rights abuses.

In 2014, a New York Times article labeled WashU one of the least socioeconomically diverse schools in the country. Only 6% of students then were Pell-eligible, meaning from a low-income background. Since then, the University has made an admirable effort to diversify its population, which included significantly expanding financial aid eligibility. Notably, WashU also invested heavily in creating programs meant to support me and hundreds of other first-generation low-income (FGLI) and underrepresented population students’ integration into WashU, including Deneb STARS and TRIO.

The Taylor family, owners of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, furthered WashU’s endeavors with a $15 million donation to found the Taylor Family Center for Student Success in 2023, which replaced Deneb STARS. This donation transformed an already robust support system into one even more well-equipped to handle any needs FGLI students might have. As The Source put it then, “The Taylor Family Center will create new opportunities for first-generation and limited-income undergraduate students to connect with mentors, strengthen social and professional networks, explore purpose-driven internships, and develop financial literacy.” 

That year, I worked as a mentor coordinator for the Taylor Center, planning events with staff and other mentor coordinators for the Taylor Scholars community. These events frequently celebrated the myriad of identities students in Taylor Stars have, ostensibly highlighting the Taylor family’s commitment to educational equity regardless of one’s background. 

While on paper the Taylor family’s efforts should be commended, there is valid reason to suspect a connection between the family and ICE. In St. Louis, as well as cities like Minneapolis and L.A, local activists argue that the government agency is renting vehicles through Enterprise. In St. Louis and the Twin Cities, Minnesota, hundreds have protested the speculated relationship. Meanwhile, in Chicago, an immigration agent was caught switching the license plate of a vehicle rented through EAN Holdings LLC, the parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and more. 

In January, protesters in Minnesota started the protest campaign “ICE out Enterprise,” where they attempted to disrupt their operations by reserving then cancelling cars. On Feb. 16, Minnesota organizers held a Global Day of Action protesting Enterprise, according to organizations’ Instagram accounts, alleging that ICE rented over 1,000 Enterprise cars in January and claiming some were used for Operation Metro Surge, the deployment of 2,000 DHS agents in an immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. Further digging reveals an expansive contract between Enterprise and the federal government, which took effect on May 28 of last year. 

Last summer, an order of nuns in Los Angeles decided to cancel their contract with Enterprise after hearing rumors that Enterprise rented vehicles out to ICE. Upon meeting with the company, they were told that a separate department of the company works with ICE, not the one the nuns were speaking to. 

“They certainly didn’t deny it. All they could say is this is not happening in their department,” Sister Maribeth Larkin told the National Catholic Reporter. In other words, company representatives more or less admitted that Enterprise has contracts with ICE. 

With the previous evidence in mind, I have strong reason to suspect that the Taylor family profits from renting vehicles out to ICE.

It is revolting to imagine that the same family that supports FGLI students at WashU also shuttles people to detention centers where the system discards their basic human dignity, not to mention their constitutional rights. As ICE buys up massive warehouses that will operate “like Amazon Prime, for human beings,” it’s imperative that we, as a University community, apply all the pressure we can to stop their efforts, unless the Taylor family’s relationship with ICE is proven otherwise. 

The Taylor family cannot profit off of this administration’s ruthless anti-immigration agenda while simultaneously supporting young scholars from immigrant families. Netting cushy government contracts to detain people who come from the same backgrounds as many first-generation students calls into question the authenticity of the Taylor family’s generosity.

Therefore, we as a community must reevaluate the Taylor family’s relationship with the University. Specifically, we must demand that Chrissy Taylor, CEO of Enterprise, and her sister Carolyn Kindle, CEO of the Enterprise Foundation, end their involvement with DHS and ICE and clarify their dealings with these agencies. Without transparency, we can only imagine that the Taylor family knowingly profits from ICE’s immigration crackdown. For now, we should refer to the Taylor Family Center as the Scholarship Student Success Center. 

If the Taylor family cannot reveal where their heart truly lies, then their name does not belong on the Center’s wall.