Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Syracuse University’s Student Association passed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Resources Bill on Monday in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions that threaten to dismantle immigrant protections on university campuses.

Under the new policy, SA will distribute red cards listing immigration rights at tabling events and cultural centers across campus, following the template of the National Immigrant Resource Legal Center. The cards will ensure all students, regardless of immigration status, are informed of their rights as immigrants in the United States if interacting with authorities.

“Students, regardless of their ethnicity or status, have a right to be at Syracuse … ” SA Speaker Pro Tempore Tim Wong said. “The possibility of a visitation from ICE on campus is not zero, as it used to be. We thought it was necessary to come up with some resources to provide the students on campus in the event that ICE does.”

Wong said 600 copies of the cards, which also outline Fourth and Fifth Amendment constitutional rights, will be available in a variety of languages including English, Spanish, Punjabi, Hindu, Chinese and Arabic.

Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, his administration reversed a policy that had previously barred ICE from arresting immigrants near schools, hospitals and places of worship. The president then signed an executive order calling for the arrest of all undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

Within the following week, ICE arrested approximately 3,500 people. In central New York, raids have taken place in towns with large immigrant populations.

Under the Trump administration, the rate of immigrant arrests has nearly tripled compared to figures from former President Joe Biden’s tenure. Trump’s threat to eliminate constitutional birth-right citizenship and asylum has intensified SA’s concerns.

“I think that there’s a lot of anxiety on campus right now,” Wong said. “I’ve spoken to friends on campus who are just a little bit on edge — especially when they’re coming from states and cities that have had bigger interactions with immigration authorities.

Other business

• Luis Gomez, SA’s vice president of community and government, reintroduced the Bed Building Appropriations bill, which is in collaboration with Syracuse’s Sleep In Heavenly Peace organization. The bill allocates funds for SU students to build beds for children in need in the broader Syracuse community.
• The association also highlighted the importance of voter participation for upcoming elections for this semester’s executive and assembly elections. If 10% of the student body turns out to vote, SA will pass a proposed constitutional referendum first introduced last spring. The referendum would change some association proceedings, responsibilities and positions, as well as aim to increase outreach on campus.

Published on February 4, 2025 at 2:02 am