Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that rules against protesting inside campus buildings are not new.
The University of Florida is partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an effort to crack down on undocumented international students.
UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldán confirmed that the school’s police department signed a 287(g) agreement, which allows local law enforcement to partner with ICE for immigration enforcement.
The partnership comes almost two weeks after UF student Felipe Zapata Velasquez was detained by immigration enforcement officers after being arrested for driving under an expired license. Other Florida colleges, including the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, have signed similar agreements, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The 287(g) program allows ICE to “enhance collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” according to its website.
On-campus public discourse has mounted following news of Zapata Velasquez’ detainment. In an April 9 protest condemning the detainment, University Police Department officers handed protesters a set of rules, similar to those handed to the nine arrested pro-Palestine protesters April 2024. Rules against protesting inside campus buildings prohibited the crowd from entering Tigert Hall, which houses campus administration, to deliver a petition calling for more student legal services.
The rules also included “no amplified sound” and “no camping.”
Alachua County’s Sheriff department is listed as a participating agency for the 287(g) program, while Alachua police is still “pending.”
The UF International Center did not respond in time for publication.
Contact Vivienne Serret at vserret@alligator.org. Follow her on X @vivienneserret.
Vivienne Serret is a UF journalism and criminology senior, serving as the Fall 2024 race and equity reporter for The Alligator's Enterprise desk. She previously worked as a columnist and previously reported for The Alligator's university desk as the student government reporter. She loves karaoke and lifting at the gym.
