UF's ICE Deal: A Step Back for Campus Safety

UF's choice to team up with ICE is a big mistake. The university says it wants to keep students safe and make everyone feel welcome. But working with ICE does the opposite. ICE has been acting more aggressive lately. They've shot at people in different states. Just recently, an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minnesota. She was a U. S. citizen. The police said she was a terrorist, but videos show that's not true. This shows how ICE can be too quick to use force. This isn't just a problem in Minnesota. It affects UF too. The university signed a deal with ICE. This deal lets campus police help ICE with immigration checks. They can even make arrests without a warrant. This happened after a student was deported for driving with an expired license. The deal makes students and staff afraid. It doesn't make the campus safer. It makes people less likely to report crimes. This is bad for a university with many international students.UF chose this deal. It didn't have to. Other schools don't have to do this either. But UF did. And it's not a good idea. These deals cost a lot of money. Local police have to pay for lawsuits and other costs. ICE doesn't help much. They don't pay for training or lawsuits. So, the university ends up paying more. UF says it's in control. But that's not true. ICE does what it wants. They've been aggressive in other cities. So, they might do the same at UF. The university should end this deal. It's not making the campus safer. It's making people afraid. UF should focus on making everyone feel safe and welcome. Partnering with ICE doesn't do that.