Faculty at FIU continue to urge campus police to get out of ICE agreement
Since the Miami Herald broke the news in April that Florida International University intends to enter into a formal agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, there have been at least four protests, a walkout and two town halls where students and faculty have pleaded with the chief of police to exit the agreement.
The most recent protest was a small rally of professors outside Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting at FIU. Noemy Diaz-Burgos, a professor of English and graduate of the university, said that although the chief may believe his intentions are good, “it’s a dangerous precedent to set.”
“Even the best policies have unintended impact,” said Diaz-Burgos. She is concerned that the agreement could lead to racial profiling and false arrests— a concern the chief addressed in a town hall last month.
The professor also criticized the chief for signing onto an agreement without much knowledge of what the training is or what his department’s role will be.
The formal agreement, known as 287(g), allows the university police department to train some of its officers to act as immigration agents, a role previously designated to federal law enforcement officials. Now that immigration enforcement is a priority under President Trump’s administration, the state of Florida is utilizing 287(g) agreements to provide support to overburdened ICE officials.
By law, only sheriff’s departments in Florida are required to sign on to these agreements. But many law enforcement agencies across the state, including university police departments, have also decided to sign on. The Miami Herald has confirmed that at least 12 university police departments have signed the formal agreement, known as the “Task Force Model,” which is the most comprehensive version of the agreement and allows trained officers to make arrests and detain individuals believed to be breaking the law.
Multiple professors who spoke at the protest said they are aware of international students who were planning to enroll next fall and decided not to out of fear. The official enrollment numbers are not yet available to confirm this trend.
During the protests, professors chanted “paws off our students,” and said they have taken it upon themselves to fight against this, as affected students are scared to show up.
Alexandre Casas, the chief of police at FIU, who also teaches courses at the school and is a graduate himself, told the Miami Herald he decided to enter into the agreement to formalize a relationship that already existed.
Read more: FIU police chief defends decision to enroll in immigration enforcement program
Previously, if ICE came onto campus, his officers would assist in any way necessary, including offering advice on how to carry out the assignment to avoid escalation.
But soon, his officers may be able to carry out immigration enforcement without the presence of ICE officers on campus.
At a meeting for faculty on campus and also at a community town hall last month, the chief repeated that his decision is in the best interest of students and that he wants to be in control with regard to immigration enforcement.
Read more: FIU police chief pledges no racial profiling under pending deal to help ICE
At the protest, Tania Lopez, the president of the faculty union at FIU, told the Herald that the student body and faculty have always had a good relationship with the campus police, yet she disagrees with the chief’s line of thinking. “By entering this agreement, we are not gaining control as a community, we are losing control,” she said.
The chief has stated that he is not yet aware of what the training will entail or exactly how his deputized officers will be utilized. He suggested to the Miami Herald that they could be called to assist ICE in enforcement off campus or investigate potential illegal activity on campus.
The university is still waiting for ICE to send back their end of the contract, after which they will begin the 40-hour webinar training of officers. He has not stated exactly how many of his officers he will train.
But the faculty is holding out hope that their presence on campus could encourage the chief to pull out of the agreement.
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM.
