Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 25 July 2018

Colleges face petitions, protests to split with ICE

By COLLIN BINKLEY by U.S. Customs and Bor-
Associated Press der Protection, a separate
Some colleges are be- agency under the Depart-
ing pressured to cut ties ment of Homeland Secu-
with U.S. Immigration and rity.
Customs Enforcement At Northeastern University
amid public outcries over in Boston, protesters gath-
the separation of migrant ered on campus this month
families along the nation's calling for an immediate
southern border. end to the school's ICE con-
Northeastern University, tract. The $2.7 million deal
Johns Hopkins University supports a research proj-
and Vermont's system of ect studying U.S. technol-
public colleges have con- ogy exports that could help
tracts with ICE totaling terrorists or other criminals
about $4 million this year abroad. The criminologist
for research and training leading the project, Glenn
services. Pierce, said it ends this year
The schools argue that their and won't be renewed by
work has nothing to do with ICE.
ICE's role along the bor- Still, school officials defend-
der, but some on campus ed the work and rebuffed
say the agency's recent the idea of turning down
actions clash with school In this July 11, 2018 file photo, students and community activists rally at Northeastern University research funding.
in Boston demanding the school cancel a multimillion-dollar research contract with U.S. Immi-
values and that preserving gration and Customs Enforcement. Northeastern was hired by ICE to research U.S. technology "Efforts to restrict which
any relationship amounts to exports. federal agencies a faculty
a tacit endorsement. Some Associated Press member can approach for
students and faculty have agency in the past, ac- by ICE, including some that ICE, partners to provide research funding are anti-
been circulating petitions cording to federal spend- have been accused of leadership training and thetical to academic free-
and organizing protests ing data. Their work has abusing detainees or keep- medical instruction to dom," said Renata Nyul, a
over the contracts. ranged from counterterror- ing them in squalid condi- agency employees. Part of school spokeswoman. "We
"People care about what ism training and evidence tions. that has included $1 million hope everyone can agree
Hopkins stands for," said testing to leases for cam- Relatively few of the agen- used to send ICE officials to to support freedom of aca-
Drew Daniel, who teaches pus parking spots. cy's contracts go to col- Gettysburg National Battle- demic inquiry — most im-
English at the Baltimore Activists across the country leges, with far more going ground for leadership "staff portantly members of our
school and started an on- have taken aim at ICE over to businesses including Mo- rides" led by Hopkins ex- own faculty."
line petition opposing its the forced separation of torola and Deloitte, where perts. The Vermont State Colleg-
deals with ICE. "You want children under the Trump some employees have also Borrowed from the military, es System received about
that degree to stand for administration's "zero toler- called for a break with the the staff rides are a type of $34,000 from ICE this year
a certain set of values, a ance" policy toward those agency. Over the last de- exercise meant to teach for leadership and finan-
certain commitment, and I who illegally cross the bor- cade, colleges have re- leadership by analyzing key cial accounting training at-
think there's frustration that der. The administration says ceived roughly $11.5 million decision made in battle. tended by ICE staff at Ver-
this relationship compro- "under 3,000" children had from ICE, compared to $12 Dennis O'Shea, a spokes- mont Technical College.
mises those values." been separated from their billion that went to busi- man for Hopkins, said the Amanda Chaulk, a spokes-
The schools facing back- families before it stopped nesses, according to fed- agreements with ICE are woman for the school, said
lash are among at least the practice. eral data. part of the university's the programs are not relat-
six currently contracted Many children were sent to Johns Hopkins, which has broader effort to provide ed to policing or enforce-
by ICE, and at least 20 detention centers overseen received $6.5 million from training to several federal ment and that the school
that have worked with the has not been asked to pro-
agencies. He declined to
comment on the petition vide any additional train-
against ICE, saying officials ing.
have not yet received it. But some students in the
Officials at ICE declined to system were nonetheless
comment on the pushback angered by the tie. Mack-
but denied any role in the enzie Murdoch, a sopho-
separation of families. Mat- more at Northern Vermont
thew Bourke, an agency University, is circulating a
spokesman, said the policy petition urging administra-
was created by the Justice tors to sever all ties with the
Department and enforced agency, which Murdoch
describes as immoral.q