USF looking to deputize campus police for immigration enforcement: Report
Immigration enforcement at Florida universities
USF is reportedly among three public universities in Florida looking to deputize campus police for immigration enforcement. FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of South Florida is among at least three Florida public universities seeking federal assistance in deputizing their campus police force for immigration enforcement, according to the Associated Press.
The backstory:
This comes one month after the university was one of 60 threatened by the Trump administration to lose federal funding for antisemitism investigations.
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Last year, at least 10 people were arrested on USF's Tampa campus after a pro-Palestinian rally got out of hand. USF campus police and HCSO responded and some sort of tear gas was deployed.
Ten people were arrested on USF's main campus in April 2024 after a pro-Palestinian rally got out of hand.
What they're saying:
"The 287(g) program is called the ‘Safe Communities’ program, where the federal government uses its funding power to induce local governments to collaborate on the enforcement of immigration law," Florida immigration attorney Renata Castro said.
Castro says it's an unusual time in immigration law.
"Will campus police be monitoring speech on college campuses? Will they expand their search into individuals who are visiting campus?" she said.
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Dig deeper:
Castro explained international students are vetted and come to public universities on student visas. Last year, USF boasted about its robust international student population of 10% or about 7,000 students from 140 different countries.
"International students play a vital role in funding the American education system, which is already very expensive. Foreign students pay five, six, seven times more into the system," Castro said.
Still, Castro said what's transpired, this new development is not surprising.
"I have a feeling that a lot more schools will take the same position throughout Tampa, and really throughout the United States because they rely on federal funding to survive," she said.
Castro advises international students to lay low.
"Consult with your DSO, which is your Designated School Official, that's your liaison with immigration. Make sure you review the code of conduct for international students and if you have any legal questions, seek the advice of an immigration attorney," she said.
A USF spokesperson sent FOX 13 the following statement:
"All state law enforcement agencies, including USFPD and the police departments at other state universities, are expected to follow the governor’s directive from February to enter into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As the agreement has not yet been signed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, we do not have any additional information about the process. USF regularly works with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to help maintain the safety of the university community and the security of our campuses."
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis.
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