By The Guardsman Staff
Rumors of potential surges in federal agents last month prompted a response from City College leaders across all channels to keep the community informed.
The concern began after President Trump threatened to send federal agents to San Francisco as part of his plan to “restore order” to Democratic-led cities such as Portland, Oregon and Chicago.
The administration called off the deployment on Oct. 23 after his surmised phone call with Mayor Daniel Lurie, but not before the news sparked anxiety across City College campuses.
“We are all grateful that the decision to deploy troops to our city had been halted, but that does not mean that there is not an aggressive ICE presence in our cities in our region; there were before, and there continues to be,” said Chancellor Kimberlee Messina during an October board meeting.
In accordance with Senate Bill 98, a new state law that went into effect in late September, City College has been informing all interested parties about its Rave Alert system for notifying the community about Immigration and Customs Enforcement. SB98 requires public schools, community colleges and universities to immediately notify students and employees if immigration enforcement agents arrive on campus.
Check Your Inbox
On Oct. 21, Chancellor Kimberlee Messina sent an email to students and employees in response to reports that San Francisco would be next on the list of cities targeted by the Trump Administration.
“The President may be deploying National Guard and ICE agents to the City,” Messina wrote. “This has understandably caused great concern.”
The message directed the campus community to ccsf.edu/immigrant, which outlines the college’s sanctuary status, ICE response protocol and student rights under California law.
Students and staff were reminded to update their Rave Alert contact information, the system used to send emergency notifications by text or email in the event of immigration enforcement activity on or near campus.
Messina reminded everyone that City College remains a sanctuary campus and that the college’s policies prohibit cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Trustee’s Emergency Agenda
At the Oct. 23 Board of Trustees meeting, Trustee Aliya Chisti requested an emergency agenda item under Board Policy 1.09 to address the “potential federal presence in San Francisco and its impact on our college and community.”
The meeting followed Lurie’s announcement earlier that day that the planned National Guard deployment had been called off.
“We just want to name what everyone is experiencing right now and to acknowledge it, it’s not business as usual,” Chisti said.
Student Trustee Angelica Campos supported the move, referencing a new Associated Students resolution that also seeks to strengthen campus response procedures for ICE activity.
During the allotted time for the new item, Chancellor Messina reaffirmed the college’s commitment to supporting immigrant communities, and stated that the college was working to ensure accurate information and implement training for all faculty, staff and students.
Messina said the college had received a memo from the city attorney that reminds officials of the sanctuary city status, as well as the actions that can be taken on campus.
“Because we are a sanctuary city, we cannot be compelled to assist immigration in any way; we are not allowed to impede them, but we are not able to use any college or city resources to assist immigration officials,” Messina said.
The meeting was turned over to Lisa Wilkins, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, who shared the website that she and her team had put together with the help of Maria Rodriguez Ramirez at City Dream. The web page, available in many languages, is designed to host all relevant information on Rave Alerts and dealing with a potential ICE presence on campus.
Student Trustee Campos raised the concern over the Rave Alerts and how it’s open to all community members, including those without a campus email address. Messina clarified that Rave notifications would never direct anyone to a location and would only be used to notify people of ICE’s whereabouts.
Chancellor and Chief
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Chancellor Messina and City College Police Chief Mario Vasquez released a video briefing to reiterate these procedures and remind everyone of their legal rights when dealing with immigration officers.
Vasquez instructed people to request identity verification from ICE officials if they were sighted and to notify the Chancellor or himself immediately. Only the Chancellor is authorized to receive warrants and other legal documents from federal agents.
Vasquez stated that district police would not assist ICE in detaining individuals or sharing personal information, and reminded everyone that they do not have to answer any of their questions.
“[They] don’t have access to classrooms, offices or behind counters, but do not impede them. We do not want our employees involved with interfering with ICE,” Vasquez said.
Messina again mentioned compliance with SB98, but stated that due to federal law, everyone will ultimately have to stay out of the way of federal agents.
In the video’s comment section, Richard Baum, AFT member and Political Science instructor, wrote, “What will the campus police do if ICE breaks laws, or brutalizes or kidnaps people? And will ICE be told that they are not welcome on campus?”
Another user wrote, “You’re acting like these ICE ‘agents’ are reasonable people who will even wait for you or the chancellor or the dean to show up. We all know that’s not true. These Gestapo don’t care. They will just come in, wreak havoc, and disappear people. I appreciate the gesture but I feel like it’s not enough, based on what I’ve seen on social media. These guys are ruthless. Please stay safe everyone.”
Resources
CCSF Immigrant Resources: www.ccsf.edu/immigrant
CCSF Police: (415) 239-3200
Chancellor’s Office: (415) 239-3556
San Francisco Rapid Response Network: (415) 200-1548