US students raise concerns over ICE deportations and international student safety after mid terms

Students and faculty at Northeastern University in Boston have raised concerns over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies, deportations and the impact on international students at a town hall meeting following the US midterm elections.

The meeting was organised by the university's Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) on November 4 and featured Martin Blatt, a professor emeritus, and Rachel Rosenbloom, a professor at Northeastern University's School of Law. Around 20 students attended the 60-minute discussion, which focused on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the university's contracts with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and restrictions on campus demonstrations.

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ICE's deportation policies were a central subject of discussion. Both faculty members criticised the agency and called for changes to the federal immigration enforcement system.

"Get rid of [ICE] along with the parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security," Blatt said during the panel.

Rosenbloom said the concerns extended beyond the agency itself. "It's much bigger than ICE," she told the room. "We need to abolish a lot of this. We need to abolish a lot of these agencies. We need to reform the system."

Students also questioned ICE's authority to arrest US citizens and raised concerns about the agency targeting undocumented immigrants irrespective of whether they had criminal convictions.

Rosenbloom clarified that ICE and immigration courts have no jurisdiction over US citizens but expressed concern about American citizens still being arrested by immigration officers.

"We're basically back in the 1920s, or something, where it's just about race and pure nativism and isn't masquerading under this veil that it's about people with criminal convictions," she said.

The discussion also covered two contracts Northeastern has with DHS. One is a $36 million award to develop a digital surveillance system intended to protect locations such as schools and subway stations, according to the university's College of Engineering website.

The second involves the Awareness and Localisation of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT) programme, which develops technologies to detect explosives. Northeastern is the lead institution among 11 universities participating in the programme.

International student safety and campus restrictions

Students also called on Northeastern to introduce a sanctuary policy to protect international students amid concerns over visa revocations and immigration enforcement.

"I think the university needs to do a lot more to protect its international students," said Kelly Chu, a second-year biology and political science combined major. She added that some international students were afraid to participate in campus activities.

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The university's demonstration policies also came under criticism. Northeastern introduced additional restrictions following pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April 2024, which resulted in the arrest of 98 protesters.

Students are required to reserve spaces and obtain a demonstration permit at least seven days in advance. Overnight demonstrations and the erection of structures on university property are prohibited.

"I feel ashamed to be associated with an institution that has these kinds of restrictions," Rosenbloom said.

Responding to the criticism, university Vice President for Communications Renata Nyul said: "Northeastern embraces the vigorous exchange of opposing ideas, provided that civility and mutual respect are always at the heart of our discourse. It is an expectation that members of our community should express their views without projecting hostility toward others."

The town hall also discussed the Democratic victories in the November 3 midterm elections and their potential implications for immigration policy. YDSA had invited four university administrators, including President Joseph E. Aoun, but none attended the meeting, according to the student newspaper The Huntington News.