New Jersey College Campuses Face Growing Student Pushback Over Federal Immigration Recruitment
Concerns about federal immigration agencies on university campuses are fueling student activism in New Jersey. In recent weeks, students at numerous universities have spoken out against DHS recruitment tactics, alleging they generate fear and violate higher education ideals.
Student-led organizations at Rowan University in South Jersey have publicly protested U.S. Customs and Border Protection participation in school events. Rowan Students for Justice in Palestine called the university’s relationship with CBP disrespectful and disturbing, claiming that immigration enforcement authorities should not be in academic places supposed to be safe for all students.
The Rohrer College of Business hosted a professional development event with a Philadelphia-based CBP trade regulation audit office, university officials said. The institution reported that the same staff reserved a table to promote accounting-focused auditing internships during typical recruitment cycles. The government stressed that hosting employers, including federal agencies, does not endorse their policies.
Student opposition increased despite this explanation. CBP personnel were protested by Rowan Students for Justice in Palestine and four other campus groups. The petition immediately gathered over 3,000 signatures. Despite immigration enforcement personnel not being present, organizers said any link with DHS was unacceptable.
Student leaders said DHS administrative jobs indirectly assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which promotes immigrant fear and cruelty. They claimed that supporting DHS careers violates higher education’s goal. Five student groups planned a campus rally to abolish ICE and hold university leadership accountable.
Rowan University officials said the business school hosts approximately 200 businesses each year, including private companies and local, state, and federal government agencies. University officials highlighted that letting employers on campus supports student career exploration and free expression, not any agency’s behavior.
Other New Jersey universities have had similar tensions. Rutgers students protested immigration enforcement along College Avenue on a national day of action. The protesting advocacy groups opposed deportations, raids, and ICE action in local areas. A local news site posted security footage of ICE authorities detaining at least five New Brunswick residents before to the protest.
Middlesex County Assemblyman Joe Danielsen called ICE’s arrests totalitarian and alarming for New Jersey towns. After these occurrences, an online petition calling for Rutgers to become a sanctuary campus garnered over 2,500 signatures. Rutgers University did not immediately address the demonstrations or petition.
About 200 Princeton University students marched in sympathy with nationwide ICE protests. Student activism has spread beyond New Jersey. CBP canceled a career event at Villanova University after students objected. Three arrests occurred at Ohio State University as protesters swarmed CBP agents tabling with other employers at a career fair.
The rising number of protests underscores a nationwide debate over immigration enforcement in academia. Universities say employment fairs offer a variety of professional prospects, but students say they create a climate of monitoring and anxiety.
As immigration enforcement continues in New Jersey and other states, institutions must combine job access with student opposition founded in social and political concerns.
Sources
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
New Jersey State Legislature
