Brandeis Public Safety dispels circulating ICE vehicle rumors
Last week, various student organizations circulated rumors of a “confirmed” ICE vehicle on campus. In an exchange with The Justice, Chief Matthew Rushton verified that the vehicle belongs to Brandeis’ Public Safety team.
On March 24, multiple student organizations reposted posted warnings of a “confirmed [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] vehicle on Brandeis campus” on their Instagram stories. The post described a black Ford Interceptor, its license plate reading, “2MVP48.” The Justice confirmed that the Ford vehicle is a Brandeis University Public Safety vehicle in an March 26 email exchange with the Associate Vice President of Operations and Chief Safety Officer, Matthew Rushton. As of press time, The Justice has not been able to verify the rumor’s origins nor who was said to have “confirmed” the sighting.
“[The vehicle] belongs to our department, and it has no connection to ICE or any federal immigration agency,” Rushton wrote. His statement corroborated the Student Union’s March 24 Instagram story that first discredited the rumor. The post referenced a private statement from the Vice President of Student Affairs, Andrea Dine. The Student Union has not responded to The Justice’s March 25 and March 30 requests for comment regarding the rumor’s source and questions regarding the Student Union’s preparedness for supporting students. In addition, the Department of Student Affairs has not responded to The Justice’s media request.
Rushton shared, “The Department of Public Safety does not detain or question community members solely based on their immigration status.” He confirmed that the department does not participate in civil immigration enforcement, which is the department’s long-standing policy, rather than a response to recent events. Brandeis’ position is aligned with guidance from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Lunn v. Commonwealth in 2017.
Chief Rushton also highlighted his Feb. 2 “statement on ICE agents” to further clarify the Department of Public Safety’s stance. The statement confirms that “ICE agents are not permitted to enter non-public areas of our campus, such as dormitories, offices and classrooms, without a valid judicial warrant signed by a judge.” The statement delineates that “administrative warrants issued by ICE do not grant authorization to these areas,” and Rushton added that a warrant signed by the Department of Homeland Security would not meet that standard. Additionally, he said the University would require a subpoena or judicial warrant before it would consent to sharing non-public personal information with outside law enforcement.
If ICE officers were to come to campus, Rushton explained that University officers would immediately notify Brandeis’ leadership. "We would communicate with the community as quickly and as transparently as we possibly could,” he wrote. Rushton stressed that if any Brandeis community member believes they are being approached by an immigration agent, they should call Public Safety immediately at 781-736-3333. They should not accept any documentation from agents without first contacting the department, according to Ruston. He concluded, “I want the Brandeis community to feel safe, and part of that is making sure accurate information gets out quickly when rumors start.”
Concerns of ICE presence at the University are not unfounded, considering there have been instances of ICE agents wrongfully detaining students on university property across the country. For instance, in a Feb. 27 article, The New York Times reported that ICE agents entered Elmina Aghayeva’s “university-owned apartment and detained her.” Aghayeva is a senior at Columbia University from Azerbaijan. Further, a Feb. 28 CNN article claims that the agents misrepresented themselves, entering the apartment building under the pretense of searching for a missing child. There have also been wrongful ICE detainments taking place off university campuses. Last year, Tufts University doctoral candidate Rümeysa Öztürk was detained outside an off-campus apartment building. ICE did not release Öztürk from her detention until last May.
Recently, several instances of graffiti have also been seen on campus. The graffiti, which reads "Deis drop ICE," refers to the University's partnership with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, which provides vehicles to ICE. The Brandeis chapter of the American Association of University Professors has recently called upon the University administration to cease working with Enterprise, in addition to starting a petition.
In this time of uncertainty and mistrust in the government, Rushton has affirmed the University’s commitment to protecting its students’ rights. However, student anxieties remain high as nationwide and campus tensions surrounding immigration persist.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Justice.