As federal immigration enforcement escalates across the country, multiple students told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they have stepped up to support each other in the absence of detailed guidance from the University.
While University officials have stated that they are “quite attuned” to the national issue, Penn has remained largely silent on how it would respond in the face of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on campus. In the absence of widespread guidance, Penn students and organizations have shared resources and hosted workshops to inform the campus community about how to prepare for possible confrontations with federal agents.
Vice President for the Division of Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson told the DP that the “presence of law enforcement in and of itself is not a reason to send out a UPennAlert” — referencing the University’s emergency notification system that disseminates information during “significant emergencies or dangerous situations.” On an FAQ webpage, Penn’s Division of Public Safety wrote that it “cooperates with outside agencies as required by law, while protecting the rights and privacy of students, faculty, and staff.”
Shields Anderson also acknowledged that there was “understandable anxiety” from members of the campus community, adding that DPS had “a lot of communication and a lot of meetings with a variety of people, including faculty, staff, and students, over the past year.”
On Feb. 26, a Columbia University student was detained by ICE officers who entered her residential building by allegedly impersonating members of the New York Police Department and requesting access to find a missing child.
One individual — who identified herself as an international Penn student and requested anonymity for fear of retribution — told the DP that the incident at Columbia “hits a lot more close to home.”
“People have leaned on the fact that it’s not as common to see this happening on university campuses, maybe even in this area of America,” she said. “Seeing it happen at Columbia just makes it feel like all the more reason for us to worry about it at Penn.”
The student said that while she had confidence in DPS’ ability to respond to ICE, she did not know “if all students would agree.”
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A separate student affiliated with Penn for Immigrant Rights, which aims to support “the local undocumented immigrant community,” told the DP that she has met with DPS multiple times regarding immigration enforcement. The student requested anonymity out of concern for her personal safety.
According to the PIR member, DPS dismissed the possibility of ICE presence on campus during one interaction with the group.
“Every conversation that I have with DPS, it’s always like, ‘They’re not gonna come on campus,’” she said.
DPS wrote in a statement to the DP that “the University has advised the campus community, including building staff and security, to contact Penn Police” should they be “approached on campus by any external law enforcement, including federal officials.”
A student leader who has been in direct communication with Penn administrators stated that DPS has an unofficial contingency plan in the case of student detainment, wherein they would notify the individual’s family — but only if they first make a report to the University. The student leader added that they were told DPS would not send out alerts if ICE was present on campus to avoid spreading misinformation and panic in the case of unverified information.
Jessa Lingel, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and an at-large member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, told the DP that she believes “there isn’t anything that Penn is doing that will make it less likely that ICE shows up.”
“As far as I have been informed, ICE has not visited Penn’s campus,” Lingel said. “That just hasn’t happened yet.”
Lingel added that “one of the most frustrating things” about Penn’s response has been that “information tends to come really piecemeal” and only after the University “has all its ducks in a row.”
“It sometimes makes it feel like there aren’t really people in charge,” she said. “Students sometimes think faculty know what’s happening, but I get the same Larry Jameson emails you do — that’s how I know what’s happening. It was like that during COVID, it was like that during the encampments, and it’s like that now.”
Lingel added that she hopes to “see a representation of humanity” from the University.
“We’re talking about actual human lives at stake and people’s families and communities,” Lingel said. “I would love to see that kind of communication from leadership, rather than … clearing everything with the Office of General Counsel before letting information trickle down to the people who work and study at Penn.”
Several Penn students and organizations voiced concerns about ICE to administrators at a Feb. 18 University Council meeting. During the open forum, a representative for the Penn Muslim Students Association requested greater clarity from the University, “not only in moments of confirmed enforcement activity, but now.”
At the meeting, a representative for the Latinx Coalition stated their hope that the “University can start showing us it’s proud of its community and demonstrate that it cares about us in proactive ways.”
The PIR member stated that previous incidents of ICE around Philadelphia have made her “terrified.”
“There’s been a number of weeks … that I've been unable to attend class,” she added. “Last January, especially, I missed a little more than a few weeks of class because I was scared they were going to come knocking at my door.”
The PIR member added that she no longer makes trips to the grocery store by herself and that “so many” of her friends have done the same.
“These issues are not only what are happening to me, but I’m just one example of so many students that I know are going through these issues,” she said.
She stated that the Columbia student’s detainment raised concerns about how the Penn Directory — which includes housing information for students on campus — could be deployed.
The platform’s website states that Penn community members are “free to decide which information to display based on their personal privacy needs.” Users must be signed in with their PennKey credentials to view the information.
The PIR member said that she had taken her housing information off the directory, though it was “very hard to do so.” She also “tried pushing” Penn’s University Life division to “spread the word.”
“Few people know that that is actually a thing, that that can be used against you,” she said, adding that PIR had to “figure everything out” due to a lack of direction from the University.
“We are students, above all, not University workers,” the student stated. “This has been an issue that we brought up multiple times to the University. We should not have to use our trauma to teach you to be human beings.”
Since February 2025, PIR has hosted over five Immigration Know Your Rights Trainings with trained immigration attorneys. The PIR member said she personally created a “Know Your Rights” flyer with information on how students can respond if detained by ICE.
The Penn Law Immigrants’ Rights Project held a similar training last month in collaboration with the Immigration and Asylum Law Club and International Refugee Assistance Project.
A College senior — who requested anonymity for fear of retribution — also emphasized Penn’s responsibility to “work with our community members.”
“We have to tap into community resources and be willing to collaborate and really be part of the city,” they said. “What is Penn also doing to support other organizations in the city that are fighting against ICE?”
The College senior added that the University has an obligation to protect students by “truly doing everything to not let ICE on our campus.”
The PIR affiliate stated that “institutionalizing these avenues of support the way that they do for other populations” is necessary for future generations at Penn.
“In six years, when something bad happens again, the same population is going to have to fight with Penn all over again,” she said. “There’s no reason for students to be doing something the University does. That should be something the University does.”
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Senior reporter Arti Jain covers state and local politics and can be reached at jain@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies economics and political science. Follow her on X @arti_jain_.
Senior reporter Christine Oh leads coverage of student life and can be reached at oh@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies English and philosophy. Follow her on X @ChristineOh_.
