On Tuesday, February 4, the L.61 conference room was packed with students, faculty, and staff as they gathered for a campus wide “Know Your Rights” training, which was hosted by John Jay’s Immigrant Student Success Center (ImSSC) in response to concerns from the John Jay community regarding the mass Immigrant Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the country under the new Trump administration. 

Beginning his second non-consecutive term, President Donald J. Trump entered the oval office with plans of action, one of which was to address immigration; he has promised to effectuate the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. 

President Trump also rescinded an administration policy from former President Joseph Biden’s term, which allows ICE to carry out operations in places such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship. 

Since this policy and plan has been implemented, the ImSSC has received many voices of concern from undocumented students and from staff concerned for students.

In attendance at the event was an undocumented student, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of their status. The student claimed that he attended the training because they wanted to gather all the information and resources they could.

“I am terrified and walk in fear everyday I leave my house,” said the anonymous student.

The ImSSC training was co-facilitated by Denise Vivar, the center’s director, and Andrew Singh, a first year humanities and justice major. Singh is also a member of the center’s Know Your Rights Awareness Committee. 

Outside of John Jay, Singh is involved with the nonprofit organization Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), where he conducts Know Your Rights trainings and engages in advocacy work. 

“I felt like John Jay was the next step because I’m here, and a lot of immigrant students don’t actually know their rights,” said Singh.

The training begun with a background on the ImSSC and its mission. The ImSSC is dedicated to providing legal, academic, financial, and socio-emotional support to immigrant, undocumented, DACA, TPS, refugee students, and students in mixed status families at John Jay College. 

Vivar then shared a slide that provided key updates on immigration policies, including the Laken Riley Act, which was signed by President Trump on January 29, 2025.

According to the slide, the Laken Riley Act calls for the mandated detainment of undocumented immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary, or assault of a law enforcement officer. The detainee would not be able to ask for release in immigration court. 

The workshop also included a discussion of the myths surrounding the rights of undocumented students in higher education between the attendees and facilitators. 

Due to students’ voicing concerns over whether or not schools are allowed to share students’ immigration status with ICE, Vivar explained the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits the sharing of student records without consent unless there is a valid judicial warrant presented.

Singh also shed light on common misconceptions surrounding immigration.

“A lot of undocumented students think they don’t have constitutional rights,” said Singh.

Students at the workshop were reminded of their rights in the event that they are approached by ICE officers.

Singh mentioned that if ICE approaches a student, the student has the right to remain silent and speak to an attorney. Singh elaborated that if in public, before answering any questions that may be asked, the student has the right to ask if they are allowed to leave. Singh also mentioned that the student  also has the right to refuse a search, if the ICE officer cannot produce a search warrant that was signed by a judge.  

“Another misconception is that people think they’re not targeted. ICE has been profiling and targeting a lot of folks, not just criminals,” said Singh. 

The Director of Public Safety Diego Redondo informed students that Public Safety has increased its security clearance at the event:ICE agents cannot search the campus without a signed judicial warrant. Additionally, Redondo claimed that protocols require that if ICE agents are on campus for recruitment purposes, they must be escorted by a John Jay Public Safety officer.

The anonymous student shared their thoughts following the end of the event. 

“I was happy the school cared and acknowledged what was going on and didn’t shove it under the rug,” they said. 

Students also expressed concerns about ICE’s presence at the Career Center’s annual Career Con, noting that the agency attended the Fall 2024 event.

“If they come back, that shows the school doesn’t care about its undocumented students,” the anonymous student said. 

However, the student also acknowledged that in some cases, there may be little the school can do.

Career Con is scheduled to take place from February 25 to 27. Currently, ICE has not signed up to attend the fair. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be in attendance. While CBP has the authority to arrest and detain individuals, they would still require a signed judicial warrant to do so on campus.

The ImSSC offers Know Your Rights red cards for students, faculty, and staff, which can be requested at L.67 New Building.

The ImSSC advises students to take the following actions if you or someone you know is at risk: make a plan, avoid contact with the criminal justice system, and take advantage of the center’s free legal immigration screenings, which are offered once a month in partnership with New York Law School. 

To stay updated on the center’s Know Your Rights events, follow its Instagram account. For a full list of available resources, visit here.