ICE at Towson University: An Outlook
- lavozlatinatu
- Sep 5, 2025
- 3 min read
Unsettlement rises amongst Towson University’s minority-majority student population. An institution that boasts welcoming people of diverse backgrounds is now accepting the presence of a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, at the Fall 2025 Career & Internship Fair on September 26.
A federal agency whose purpose to “protect public safety” instead instills fear towards families in our community.
Homeland Security Investigations’ presence creates disturbances for students planning to attend the fair and impacts undocumented students’ ability to network for their desired profession.These students’ intentions are to receive higher education and establish a career – just like any other college student.
There’s no justification for preventing these students from pursuing a promising future.
Although administrators have not spoken up regarding the issue, there’s hope something will be done to prevent jeopardizing the safety of the student body and surrounding community.
Students have expressed concerns through social media by liking, reposting, and commenting on an Instagram post created by the university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America, YDSA.
In the past, students have used their First Amendment right to protest ICE and successfully petitioned their removal from last semesters’ career fair.
While there is no comfort in knowing there could be federal agents on our campus intending to remove our peers from this institution, students who are against ICE will continue to do anything in their power to prevent this agency from stepping foot on campus.
Last semester the YDSA formed a coalition as a way to unite students who had one goal: remove ICE from attending the fair. They created a list of demands, amongst them including:
1. Designating Towson as a sanctuary campus while committing to the safety of its
immigrants of all documentation status
2. Provide institution-wide guidelines on how to respond to ICE intrusions
3. Prohibiting ICE’s access to campus
4. Providing updated alert information to inform students of ICE’s presence on campus
Hundreds of job recruiters intend to be present to meet and help advance the careers of our diverse student body. It is entirely inappropriate for ICE to be present at a place meant for professional development.
There’s a possibility students may not attend the fair out of fear of being targeted, creating a decline in job recruiters who may also see a decrease in student interests due to potential boycotts and protests.
Other recruiters may not want to associate themselves with an institution that welcomes oppressive federal agencies.
This would not only affect undocumented students at Towson but also impacts the amount of job resources other students can receive.
Though there are rules ICE must follow and rights they cannot violate, undocumented and other mixed status immigrants still feel threatened, and are sometimes arrested – including when they have no record of past criminal activity.
There are no benefits for the students at Towson University if ICE is present at the career fair. This not only affects undocumented and other mixed-status immigrants, but the overall reputation of our institution.
Current students are disappointed in the administrations lack of attention and hope they will acknowledge our concerns and act.
Prior to such hopes, the scholars at Towson University will continue to use their constitutional rights to prevent ICE from entering our campus.
By: Sofía Garcia
Image Credits: https://www.wlrn.org/immigration/2025-07-09/key-west-ice-287g-immigration-deportation
Comments