Santa Fe College Board of Trustees Signs 287g Form with ICE After Disregarding Public Input
The Santa Fe College (SFC) Board of Trustees agreed to sign a 287g form between the SFC Police Department (SFPD) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tuesday afternoon.
A group of about 15 protesters demonstrated outside before the meeting.
The SFC Board of Trustees heard from several public commenters who asked them to hold off on signing the agreement or to throw it away entirely. Many advised that the agreement would create an inherent association between SFPD and ICE.
Several members of the public were confused about how the agreement would be implemented and whether or not ICE personnel would be coming on campus physically.
The agreement says that certain SFPD officers selected by the chief of police will conduct immigration enforcement; however, it also says that SFPD will not conduct immigration enforcement unless under ICE direction and supervision.
The Board of Trustees was criticized for not making any announcements about the agreement. During public comment, Student Body President JP Dishinger said, “What other decisions are being made without student input…. Students have had to rely on secondhand information, scattered reports and speculation.”
Dishinger asked the Board of Trustees to pause and engage with the student body before signing the agreement.
SFC Student Senate President Aleeza Carruthers urged the board to not sign the agreement saying it would threaten the trust between students and SFPD. She read the board part of a document containing dozens of statements anonymously submitted by students.
One student who submitted an anonymous statement said they questioned why anyone should continue going to the college. They said the 287g agreement will “create a culture of fear and intimidation throughout the whole campus” due to international students at other colleges being arrested.
SFC graduate and UF student Felipe Zapata Velásquez was deported last month after Gainesville Police Department officers arrested him on charges of driving with an expired license and registration.
Last month, the Donald Trump administration revoked dozens of student visas across several universities in Florida.
Just a few days ago, the Supreme Court voted to allow the Trump administration to revoke immigration protections for 350,000 Venezulans.
The student population of SFC is nearly a quarter Hispanic, and many Venezuelan students previously served in student government.
The SFC Board of Trustees did not respond to any public commenters and passed the agreement without acknowledging their concerns.
Dishinger told GnvInfo in an interview that the agreement will likely go into effect after the officers are chosen and they undergo 40 hours of training. He said, “The best-case scenario is that these officers are going to be trained in a way where they'll be able to be well prepared in case ICE does come onto campus, and they can protect our students by informing them on the best way to act and making sure their student visas are in check. The unfortunate and scary way of this agreement could be where these police officers are using their extended scope.... which could open the door to racial profiling and legal liability.”
Dishinger said the agreement could make international students feel unsafe to report crimes. He said SFC didn’t properly communicate with students about the agreement and that many only found out because he made a post about it on the SF United Instagram account.
In a message to the student body, Dishinger said, “Make your voice heard. If they left us out of the conversation, that doesn't mean we can't intrude on it. It is very important right now, more important than probably ever at Santa Fe College, to make your voice heard and to do our best to hold the people that signed this accountable as best as possible. Not only because they signed it. But the fact that they signed it without consulting with the student body and letting the student body's voices be heard. We need to continue pushing and we need to hold them accountable for that.”
Testimonials from Carruthers, Journalism Club Senator Tre Mobley and over two dozen anonymous students can be read in the document below.
