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Students at Florida International University (FIU) are wondering why a school priding itself on a “culture of belonging” is seemingly warming up to the idea of federal immigration officers sweeping through campus in search of immigrants to arrest.
In a recently posted video of an apparent FIU meeting, university police chief Alexander Casas tells the audience his department will help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with on-campus immigration sweeps. The statement has stirred fear at the international university, home to more than 4,500 foreign students and, given its South Florida location, undoubtedly thousands of Latino immigrants and their first-generation students.
Neither the FIU police nor campus officials have responded to New Times’ inquiries for comment.
The news comes as ICE ramps up its nationwide deportation efforts. In a memo obtained by the Associated Press (AP), ICE agents were told they have the right to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, which legal experts say is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protections against wanton searches and seizures of property. Immigrants’ fears have also been compounded by ICE now targeting schools, including the detention of a five-year-old boy after using him to bait immigrants in Minnesota. According to the Washington Post, ICE arrested three other children from the same school district.
FIU students fear they could be next.
In a video posted this week by immigration activist Thomas Kennedy, FIU’s police chief says, “If ICE were to request us to participate in a sweep of campus, we would. We would provide any assistance we can provide.
“That hasn’t happened, though.”
In an opinion piece published by FIU’s student newspaper Panther Now, students are demanding transparency from the university on its apparent agreement with ICE.
“Transparency is what’s been requested from FIU police in the light of their agreement with ICE, however it has not been delivered to the extent students need. Since the finalization of the agreement, there have been no updates as to how the partnership has been progressing,” FIU student Sonia Stolar wrote in the opinion, referring to an April 2025 faculty senate meeting about a potential 287(g) agreement with ICE (which would provide FIU officers with ICE training and authority).
“The question is whether a university that prides itself on multiculturalism condemns violent attempts at the erasure of immigrants. Or was the signing of the 287(g) agreement a silent expression of supporting this cause?” she wrote. “Without communication—there will be no clarity. Without clarity—there is no feeling of safety.”
