How Washington colleges are preparing for ICE

There have been no documented instances of federal immigration enforcement taking place on Washington’s public college campuses.

Yet across the state, college leaders say they are actively preparing for the possibility. They are updating policies, retraining staff and reinforcing legal boundaries as student anxiety grows in response to enforcement actions elsewhere in the country.

The reason is both legal and practical. Under state law, public agencies cannot assist federal immigration enforcement unless presented with a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Administrative warrants issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are not enough. Institutions are required to adopt policies protecting immigrants and designate officials to handle any attempted enforcement.

At the same time nationally, federal agents have detained students at or near campuses in some states, including Minnesota and Massachusetts. In the past year, the Trump administration has revoked visas for international students. At least 35 such cases occurred in Washington, and some evidence suggests those actions have led to fewer students from abroad enrolling at U.S. colleges.

It’s unclear how many undocumented students attend college in Washington. At least a few thousand every year fill out a state financial aid form intended for students without a Social Security number, but not all of them are undocumented, and not all of them end up going to school. Colleges are also instructed to divorce their enrollment data from immigration status. At least one college leader said in an interview that she wasn’t sure how many, if any, undocumented students are enrolled.

Most Washington schools began shoring up their protocols a year ago. They are weighing compliance with state law, protection of student privacy and the broader question of whether immigrant students feel safe accessing higher education at all.

At Central Washington University, Police Chief Eric Twaites said public university police departments regularly compare notes.

“We’ve all confirmed: nobody of any four-year institutions has confirmations of ICE being on campus,” Twaites said. “We’ve been lucky — blessed — we haven’t had to worry about it.”

But the absence of enforcement has not translated into complacency.

Most colleges have adopted a similar protocol in the event federal agents arrive on campus: limit interaction, redirect agents to designated leadership, verify credentials and determine whether a judicial warrant exists before allowing access to nonpublic spaces.

At Pierce College, Chancellor Julie White said the district renewed and redistributed its policies last year. In the past few months, the college has had more training sessions that include active response scenarios.

Pierce identified specific administrators authorized to verify warrants, distributed “immigration designee” contact cards to employees and created updated resource pages for undocumented students. Staff are instructed to immediately contact campus leadership and security if agents appear.

White said preparation has been driven less by campus incidents and more by what students are experiencing in their communities.

“I’m also hearing that some students and employees are really struggling (with) feeling safe to leave their home,” she said.

Pierce, with campuses in Puyallup and Lakewood, serves students that include a significant Latino population and many English language learners. White said administrators are acutely aware of who bears the brunt of immigration enforcement rhetoric.

“Black and brown communities are disproportionately impacted,” she said.

Colleges are making the distinction between public and nonpublic spaces a key part of their training to staff and students.

Sidewalks, parking lots and open lobbies are generally considered public. Classrooms while in session, residence halls, closed offices and employee workspaces are not. Immigration officers cannot enter those areas without a judge-signed warrant.

Bellevue College recently confronted how quickly fear can spread even without on-campus enforcement. On Feb. 6, video of an arrest near Robinswood Park on 148th Avenue near campus circulated on social media. The arrest did not occur on campus property, but administrators issued a campuswide message confirming it happened nearby and reiterating policy.

“It’s very jarring to see that stuff in your community,” said Bellevue spokesperson Raechel Dawson. “We’ve been good about communicating public safety.”

The college has since hosted multiple information sessions and town halls, including one featuring an immigration attorney. Staff are also welcome to contact the campus security department to request personal walk-throughs of the protocol they should follow.

“It’s my job to respond to the location of where or where not this might be happening,” said Fernando Moratalla, head of public safety at Bellevue College.

At Wenatchee Valley College, Vice President of Student Affairs Diana Garza said the college updated its policy last February and distributed written guidance to front-line staff. Employees are instructed to refer immigration agents to designated administrators who review documentation in consultation with legal counsel.

“We’re really mindful that this is causing a lot of emotions in everybody,” Garza said. “Our role is to really keep the education process moving forward. We want students to know that we support them.”

Wenatchee has not reported any enforcement on campus, though Garza acknowledged activity has occurred in the area. The college has hosted workshops with community organizations and legal resource providers to answer student questions.

None of the colleges interviewed said they are firmly planning to activate emergency alert systems solely because immigration enforcement appears nearby. Leaders emphasized those systems are typically reserved for immediate threats to physical safety or violent crimes.

Several colleges, including the University of Washington and Seattle Colleges, declined interviews for this story and instead directed inquiries to public webpages outlining their ICE protocols. Those pages consistently emphasize compliance with state law, verification of judicial warrants and limitations on access to nonpublic spaces.

Pierce College Chancellor White framed the preparation work as a matter of accessibility to higher education.

“We know if students can’t get access to an education, we don’t have a trained workforce, and we don’t have vibrant communities,” she said.

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