Detainment of International Student Undermines Trust and Safety

AAUP President Todd Wolfson and AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement in response to reports that Department of Homeland Security agents misrepresented themselves to gain entry to a Columbia University residential building and detainan international student.

We are outraged by reports that DHS agents misrepresented themselves to gain entry to a Columbia University residential building and seize an international student. We are relieved that the student has been released. But if reports of the circumstances of her arrest are accurate, this is a dangerous abuse of state power that threatens due process, undermines trust and safety on our campuses, and sends a chilling message to international students and scholars across the country. Universities must not become extensions of immigration enforcement or sites of fear and intimidation. The AAUP and AFT stand firmly with students, faculty and campus communities demanding accountability and the protection of fundamental rights.