AnaElda Ramos | Illustration Editor 

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has incited concern among WashU students and faculty, and caused at least one department in the Medical School to send out a document detailing what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is present on campus. 

The document, which the neurology department distributed to its members on Feb. 5, advises each “school, department or building” to designate one administrator to deal directly with ICE or any other law enforcement. It also instructs readers to ask for a warrant signed by a judge before admitting ICE into any private spaces in a building. 

Julie Flory, the Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications, explained that the administration provided the document to department leadership, who then sent it out at their discretion. 

“We continue to monitor developments on the federal level on a number of fronts, including immigration. We’ll evaluate any orders or policies as they are enacted and respond as needed to ensure that we’re following the law and supporting members of our community,” Flory wrote in an email to Student Life. 

In the past two months, the Trump administration has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, allowed ICE to make arrests in “sensitive” areas such as schools or hospitals, where it was previously illegal for them to do so, and attempted to deport pro-Palestine student activists at Columbia. 

Sociology Professor Ariela Schachter, who studies immigration, said there have already been consequences for WashU.

“The general anti-immigrant rhetoric makes people feel uncomfortable and not sure of their long-term ability to stay in the United States and to build their careers,” Schachter said. “[That is] one impact when it comes to recruiting the best and brightest people to be a part of our research community.” 

One student, who wished to remain anonymous out of concern for her family and will be referred to as Student A, said the recent crackdown resurfaced fears that her two undocumented parents could be deported. 

“It’s always been in the back of my mind, the idea that they can be taken from me. So now [that] it’s just more obvious … I’m stressed constantly for them,” Student A said. “I don’t want them to drive out to St. Louis, I don’t want them to come visit me, because I don’t want them to get traffic stopped.”

Student A spoke about how the fear of being deported was hard on her family.

“This lady posted on Facebook that ICE had shown up to [my dad’s work]. Thankfully, I don’t think it was ICE, I think it was police presence, but that terrified everyone,” Student A said. “My dad specifically didn’t go to work for the next few days. He’s our only breadwinner, which is scary. If he gets taken away, there’s no way my family can support themselves.”

Margot Moinester, a professor in the sociology department who studies immigration enforcement, said an arrest by ICE can affect the surrounding community as well.

“Research shows that expanded enforcement leads to worse health outcomes and higher eviction rates,” Moinester said. 

Schachter added that there could be consequences for St. Louis in particular. 

“St. Louis has been investing in trying to encourage and promote immigrants to come [here],” Schachter said. “Without immigration, we would be experiencing depopulation.”

Moinester said the creation of the document sent out by the neurology department was a step in the right direction.

“Knowing your rights and knowing how to proceed if a situation were to arise is really valuable,” Moinester said. “The key is actually getting the document in the hands of everyone who might need to see it.”

Schachter said she hoped that the WashU administration would also make a public statement on the topic. 

“We’ve seen the University come out with these really strong statements about its values when it comes to research and academic freedom,” Schachter said. “But the University has failed so far to come out with strong statements about their protection for and belief in immigrant students.” 

Student A echoed Schachter’s sentiment. 

“I’m scared that if my dad gets taken away, I wouldn’t be able to continue to go here,” Student A said. “I just think that, even [if WashU sent out] a statement supporting its students … it wouldn’t do any harm.” 

Chancellor Andrew Martin explained in a recent op-ed in the Chronicle of Higher Education that he has directed WashU to adopt a position of institutional neutrality on political and social issues. 

“Universities contribute to the betterment of society not by pursuing ideological agendas but through the research and innovation of their faculty and students, by producing knowledgeable leaders, and by serving as a model for civil discourse grounded in critical reasoning,” Martin wrote.

Student A added that they hoped the WashU student body educates themselves about issues surrounding immigration, and attends programming put on by affinity groups like the Association of Latin American Students. 

“If it isn’t affecting you, that’s a blessing,” Student A said. “But I feel the way we become better neighbors, better people, [and a] better society is to inform ourselves, to learn and to interact and talk to people who are being affected.”