ASU: "Know Your Immigration Rights"

When I was an undergrad, I did what many did in those days. I filled a backpack and wandered around Europe in the summers. One piece of advice I was given: “be sure you are aware of the laws of the country you are in and that you do not violate those laws; make sure you keep your passport with you at all times.” In other words: respect the country you are in, recognize that you are a guest, obey its laws, and cooperate with its law enforcement. Those were the old days.

Well, enough wandering down memory lane. Let’s turn to something more current: an event at ASU that I recently received an email about.

In a message sent out by one of ASU’s programs, the following event was highlighted:

You can see that it was brought to ASU by CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) and Phoenix Allies for Community Health. A lawyer and leader from CAIR-Az facilitated it. The goal, among other things, was to give advice on what to do during an “ICE raid.” It says it will help participants plan for police interactions.

A few questions:

1. Why are the organizers of this event assuming their audience will have police interactions or need help with ICE “raids”?

2. Is ASU teaching that students should break immigration law or hinder ICE investigations?

3. Did ASU also offer an event about why immigration law matters, the problems of breaking a country’s laws, and the consequences of those willful illegal acts?

Another time, I’ll tell you the story of when I served as the Faculty Senate President for ASU West Valley. During our senate presidents’ meetings (in the years of the first Trump administration), some very interesting plans were discussed regarding how the university would respond to federal immigration policies.