In an Oct. 28 town hall held by Northeastern’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, a group of more than 20 students raised concerns about the university’s policies in the event immigration officials were to come on campus.
The Northeastern University Young Democratic Socialists of America, or NEU YDSA, advocates for a “sanctuary campus,” which is a campus that doesn’t cooperate or offers limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement to protect international students or community members who might be undocumented.
The meeting opened with a statement from Lokesh, the chair of NEU YDSA, who provided only their first name out of privacy concerns. Lokesh, a third-year computer science and neuroscience combined major, said the meeting’s purpose was to call upon Northeastern to listen to student voices and concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in Boston and potentially on campus.
“Northeastern has completely kept silent in the face of this massive encroachment from the federal government and has refused to be transparent about its policies to protect international students and relevant communities from unjust persecution,” Lokesh said in their opening statement to the students.
Several Northeastern administrators and staff with the Office of the General Council at Northeastern were invited by YDSA to attend the town hall. Two invitees from the office told The Huntington News the email went to their junk folder.
Since his return to office, President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration, sending ICE to major cities including New York, Boston and Chicago. Boston is considered a “sanctuary city,” but since the initiation of widespread ICE raids, the Trump administration has challenged sanctuary cities, including Boston.
Many attendees, including members of NEU YDSA, said Northeastern needed to be clearer about its plan of action if ICE ever were present on campus.
The university didn’t respond to requests for comment on what its plan of action is regarding federal immigration officials on campus or what resources are available to students who might be at risk of deportation.
“[ICE] is something that we need to expect, and it is not just an idea of something that might happen,” said Simon Braun, a second-year environmental and sustainability sciences and chemistry combined major. “When this does inevitably occur, Northeastern needs to be a part of a broader Boston pushback against ICE. We cannot allow them to get onto campus unless they have the correct warrants, and even then, we should make it as difficult as possible for ICE to do their duty in removing our students that are beloved parts of our community.”
Koai Solano Ortiz, a second-year political science major, NEU YDSA member and event attendee, raised concerns during the meeting about dining hall workers on campus who might be immigrants.
“I am a kid of immigrants, and the fear that has plagued our communities is expansive,” Solano Ortiz said during the meeting. “I can’t imagine a kid back at home, waiting for one of our dining hall workers, and they don’t see them.”
In an interview with The News after the event, Solano Ortiz expanded more on their personal fear of ICE.
“I couldn’t invite some of my family members here [campus] because of the lack of policy in place,” they said. “That’s one of the reasons I know me and my friends haven’t brought some of our family members on campus. We’re scared something is going to happen to them, and I’m angry. I am very disappointed in Northeastern’s administration.”
In late January, Northeastern published an FAQ page titled “Federal Landscape,” which is updated with information about changes impacting higher education but is unsigned by university leaders. The FAQ’s “Immigration and International Issues” section directs community members with questions or concerns to the Office of Global Services and the Office of the General Counsel.
“I don’t think any international student wants to bet all of their safety on a policy that may or may not exist,” Lokesh said during the meeting. “If [Northeastern is] not willing to publicly say that ‘Yes, we are not going to allow any federal agents without proper warrants,’ then we need them to directly say that they will actively fight against illegal entry into dormitories and residence halls, things of that nature.”
Gabriel Besecker, communications director for NEU YDSA, explained the concerns raised during the meeting will be incorporated in the future campaigns and events of the chapter.
“Trump’s crackdown on immigration isn’t going to stop this semester,” said Besecker, who is a third-year economics and psychology combined major. “It’s going to continue on for the next couple years, and I think it’s important that we build an infrastructure for students to feel safe and a voice for them to be heard.”
Toward the end of the meeting, attendees raised concerns about Northeastern administration’s lack of interest in directly opposing the Trump administration. Evan Caldwell, a representative from the national organization of Democratic Socialists of America, addressed the room in response.
“Most of these concerns can be directly addressed without a single financial cost,” Caldwell said to the group. “Your job as students and as members of this community is to show the rest of your community that you have power together … and the institution that you’re all paying unfathomable amounts of money to can use the resources you’re giving it to keep you safe while you learn.”
