imagines being at school when ten armed agents arrive in five large SUVs and attempt to take you away, even though you’ve done nothing wrong, and they lack a warrant for your arrest. How would you feel?
Augsburg University students expressed concerns about their safety after armed ICE agents were confirmed to be present outside a residence hall over the weekend.
The university acknowledged that these individuals were federal immigration agents who detained a student on campus.
Video has surfaced of armed men on campus, which was recorded by a student, showing a man with a rifle near the entrance of the residence hall. Shortly after, a second armed individual walked through the same parking lot. The video concluded with at least two unmarked SUVs departing the scene.
In a message to students and staff, the university’s provost stated that the incident occurred around 3 p.m. Saturday in Parking Lot B.
According to Augsburg, ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle attempted to detain a student whom they allegedly followed and targeted prior to arriving on campus.
The provost mentioned that campus public safety personnel responded, and when an on-call administrator arrived, the agents claimed they did not possess a judicial warrant. The student was eventually removed from the campus.
A university spokesperson refrained from an on-camera interview but issued a statement deeming the agents’ methods as “unacceptable, dangerous, and deeply concerning.”
“I’m very scared because these people to me are armed thugs,” said student Mustafaa. “They just go around arresting anyone they want without any real rules that they’re following. They have no warrant, and just because someone fits a profile, they roll up to them and try to basically kidnap them in broad daylight.”
Furthermore, many people are reporting harassment based solely on ethnicity, which is against the law. According to Mustafaa, he witnessed the harassment of a student today.
Tom Holman, the former director of ICE, stated, “ICE is not allowed to arrest people based on ethnicity and that they must have a deportation order for that person.”
The university has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for more details regarding the student’s detention and is awaiting a response.
Augsburg University released the following statement:
“The Augsburg University community was profoundly affected by an incident on campus on December 6. Armed, masked ICE agents targeted an undergraduate student without showing a warrant and confronted community members right outside a residence hall. They pointed weapons at witnesses, including staff and students, while others watched from their windows. Such tactics, which carry an implicit threat of violence, are unacceptable and deeply disturbing.
Read Augsburg University’s statement below.
“The Augsburg University community was deeply shaken by an incident that took place on campus on December 6. Without producing a warrant, an armed, masked group of ICE agents targeted an undergraduate student and confronted members of our community directly outside a residence hall. They aimed weapons at witnesses that included staff and students while many more students watched from their windows. These tactics, with the implicit threat of violence, are unacceptable, dangerous, and profoundly disturbing.
“As an urban university, Augsburg has long-standing, professional relationships with local law enforcement, and we are accustomed to partnering closely on public safety issues. What happened on December 6 was far outside the scope of our normal experience. Our focus in the wake of this traumatic incident is on the safety and well-being of our campus community. Now more than ever, our mission of education is critical to the healthy functioning of a free, democratic society.”
