Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been criticized by both the media and the public following its deportation efforts in American cities. In the aftermath of the controversial ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, many Notre Dame students indicated similar disapproval of ICE’s efforts to the Rover.
Immigration enforcement in Minnesota has come under particular scrutiny. Over 3,000 ICE agents were reported to have participated in a deportation operation in Minnesota, titled “Operation Metro Surge.” According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE agents have arrested over 4,000 undocumented immigrants in the city, including murderers, rapists, and terrorists.
However, many politicians, including the Democrat Minnesota governor Tim Walz, have criticized ICE’s methods. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Walz wrote, “The Trump administration’s assault on Minnesota long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state.”
Border czar Tom Homan announced the removal of 700 ICE agents from the state on February 4. Homan explained at a press conference, “This is smarter enforcement, not less enforcement.”
An anonymous student from Minnesota told the Rover, “As a Minneapolis native, my problem is more with ICE’s treatment of those they are interacting with.”
The student specifically expressed concerns over ICE’s use of the B.H. Whipple Federal Building, which is currently operating as a short-term detention facility.
“I dislike that lawyers are not being allowed into Whipple, that families are being separated, that prisoners in Whipple are being denied basic food, water, and medical services, that ICE is using facial-identifying technology to threaten protestors, that protestors’ Global Entry privileges are being taken away, and that ICE could do literally anything and declare it ‘self-defense,’” the student explained.
DHS has denied all accusations of inhumane treatment or of restricting communication with lawyers and family.
In a Rover poll of 138 students, over 57 percent of students reported holding an “unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” view of ICE’s deportation efforts. Thirty percent of students held a “favorable” or “very favorable” view of their efforts. Only 12 percent were “neutral.”
Though respondents were divided in their opinion of ICE, over 90 percent of respondents expressed support for some form of deportations. Deportations for undocumented immigrants who committed additional crimes in the United States were supported by 44 percent of respondents. An additional 10 percent supported deporting undocumented immigrants who had lived in the U.S. for 2-5 years, while 29 percent supported deporting all undocumented immigrants.
Of the remaining percentage, 6.5 percent supported deportations even for immigrants who had attained citizenship. The rest supported deportations with conditions, such as only deporting those who have committed violent crimes.
The Notre Dame College Democrats reacted to the poll results, telling the Rover, “It is unsurprising that the majority of Notre Dame students reject ICE’s disregard for human and constitutional rights. When families are torn apart, citizens are unjustifiably killed, and entire communities are forced to live in fear, immigration enforcement ceases to be about law and becomes an instrument of cruelty.”
The Notre Dame College Republicans expressed their support for immigration enforcement in a statement to the Rover, explaining, “[We] unequivocally endorse the President’s resolute enforcement of federal immigration statutes. These deportation mandates were duly enacted by Congress through the constitutional legislative process and carry the full force of United States law. Any deliberate efforts by state and local Democratic officials to impede, obstruct, or nullify their execution constitute a direct challenge to federal authority and amount to insurrection against the United States.”
A spokesperson for the College Republicans concluded, “Both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the United States Constitution not only permit but obligate us to enforce our laws and defend our borders.”
Freshman Wil McDermott echoed this sentiment to the Rover: “What people need to understand is that ICE is simply necessary and is not something that will just go away.”
Sophomore Quinlen Schachle, who serves on the executive board of the Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy, was more critical of ICE, explaining, “I strongly condemn the treatment of immigrants by ICE. Practices such as mass deportations, family separation, and detention in inhumane conditions violate the fundamental dignity of the human person.”
Schachle continued, “As a Catholic, I believe every person is made in the image of God and is therefore entitled to dignity and respect, regardless of immigration status. Policies that inflict fear and harm on immigrant communities are morally unjust and incompatible with these values.”
One anonymous poll respondent also appealed to the Catholic faith as informing their views on immigration policy, writing, “While immigration can be a difficult subject, it is important to ground ourselves as Catholics in the teachings of the Church and the words of our Holy Father the Pope. America has an absolute right to defend its borders and enforce its laws, but doing so cannot compromise our primary duty to love as Christ loves.”
Andrew Blake is a sophomore studying political science and the Program of Liberal Studies. He can be reached at ablake5@nd.edu.