On Jan. 28, University President Dr. Daniel Wubah sent a correspondence to all students going over the possibility of federal law enforcement appearing on campus.
“The safety, rights and well-being of our campus community remain among my highest priorities,” Wubah wrote in an email on Wednesday. “Sometimes, law enforcement officers may be on or near campus and this does not automatically mean there is a problem or emergency.”
Concerns around federal law enforcement making their presence known on college campuses began after a January 2025 rescinding of a Biden-era policy that deemed college campuses, hospitals, and places of worship as “sensitive areas,” which prohibited federal law enforcement (such as ICE) from pursuing an arrest in those places.
“As a result of this rescission, campuses no longer have special protections from immigration enforcement,” according to Cornell Law School and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. “Whether ICE can enter a campus to take enforcement action depends on whether the area is considered public. However, officers cannot access nonpublic areas of campus without permission from an authorized campus official.”
Millersville University is a public campus, and as a public institution, MU cannot impede, obstruct, or “do anything” to ICE if they appear on campus, according to Wubah.
ICE has also been accused of targeting immigrant students as well, such as the infamous arrest of Turkish PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk in March of 2025, and Babson College freshman Any Lucia Lopez Belloza in January.
“Institutional employees are not required to grant access, provide documents, or assist federal immigration officers in entering nonpublic areas of the campus,” according to Cornell, and Wubah said if ICE does show up, to refer them to MUPD.
“Our established protocols ensure that all law enforcement interactions are handled centrally, lawfully and in a manner that protects academic freedom, due process and individual rights,” Wubah wrote. “Millersville is committed to your safety, dignity, and success.”
