Santa Fe College Police to Conduct Immigration Enforcement Under Proposed 287g Agreement
Santa Fe College (SFC) has plans to sign a 287g form to allow the SFC Police Department (SFPD) to conduct immigration enforcement on campus.
An SFC spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed they have a “draft agreement in place that has not yet been signed.” The unnamed spokesperson reportedly said the agreement could be signed at the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting.
The meeting will be held at Northwest campus on May 20 in building S, room 332, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.
ICE recently signed a 287g form with the University of Florida (UF), allowing the UF Police Department to conduct immigration enforcement on campus.
The draft agreement to be signed by SFC says SFPD will be allowed to “interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien.” Under the agreement, SFPD will be allowed to arrest alleged illegal immigrants without a warrant if they believe the suspect will escape.
The executive branch party for SFC student government, SF United, made an Instagram post voicing their dissent for the agreement. The post says, “The vague language about who can be ‘believed to be an alien’ opens the door for profiling based on race, accent, or appearance - even for U.S. citizens…. Students may become afraid to report crimes or seek help - especially undocumented or mixed-status families making campus less safe for everyone.”
SFPD will be permitted to transfer immigrants to ICE if the agreement is signed.
Gainesville City Commissioner Ed Book, who serves as SFPD chief, would have the authority to nominate officers for ICE training under the agreement. All candidates would undergo screening by ICE.
The training would cover a range of topics, including immigration law, use of force policy and civil rights. Immigration enforcement activities would be supervised and directed by ICE personnel.
In the event of a conflict between ICE policies and SFPD policies, it would be resolved between SFPD leadership and ICE personnel, according to the draft agreement.
The draft agreement says “Participating LEA personnel who perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions are bound by all applicable federal civil rights statutes and regulations. Participating LEA personnel will provide an opportunity for subjects with limited English language proficiency to request an interpreter. Qualified foreign language interpreters will be provided by the LEA as needed.”
According to SF United, the SFC Senate will be discussing the agreement at their next meeting in building P room 160 at Northwest campus on May 13 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
