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Policy Concerning Immigration Enforcement Action

Effective as of Apr 08, 2024 | Last updated on Apr 15, 2024


Policy Statement

The enforcement over U.S. immigration laws rests with the federal government. The United States government department called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration.

ICE employs special agents or officers who enforce provisions of approximately 400 federal statutes by various immigration enforcement efforts such as detainment, removal or deportation, or other immigration enforcement action

This Policy sets forth the policies and procedures for students, faculty and staff of California College of the Arts (“CCA”), in the event that immigration enforcement action takes place at CCA, by an immigration officer.

For the purposes of this Policy, “immigration officer” means any federal or state immigration enforcement officer, such as “ICE,” who is seeking to enforce federal immigration law by way of an arrest warrant, administrative order or subpoena, or other immigration enforcement action.

Please note, other government officials may visit the campus for purposes other than for enforcement of an arrest warrant, administrative order or subpoena, such as Field Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security. As explained further in section VI, these policies do not apply to those governmental requests or inquiries as to international students.

Please also note: CCA’s Public Safety department does not have responsibility for enforcement of federal immigration laws and does not engage in immigration enforcement action in the course of its duties.

Section IX below contains a list of legal service providers who provide legal immigration representation or referrals to legal immigration representation.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE CCA CAMPUS AND STUDENT RECORD KEEPING

Federal law allows immigration enforcement officers to pursue enforcement actions in public areas. Immigration enforcement officers, however, may not enter non-public areas without a warrant or the consent of the owner or person in control of the location.

The CCA campus is private property. Access to the CCA campus, however, is unrestricted, meaning that sometimes visitors enter the CCA campus without disclosing their name or purpose. It is therefore possible that an immigration officer may access the CCA campus without disclosing the purpose of their visit.

Non-Public Areas of the Campus:

The following areas of the campus are non-public, meaning only for authorized CCA students, staff or faculty. These areas include but are not limited to:

  • All classrooms
  • All faculty and other internal offices spaces
  • All residence halls
  • All Housing and Residential Life Offices
  • The Counseling Office
  • The Office of Career Development
  • The Student Records and Accounts Office
  • Student Affairs Office
  • The Dean of Students Office
  • The Offices of Financial Aid
  • The Office of International Student Services
  • The Offices of Human Resource
  • All restrooms

Immigration officers are not permitted to enter the CCA campus, including these above non-public areas of the campus, unless they have a valid judicial warrant.

Student records are subject to a variety of privacy laws including the Federal Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). Student records are maintained by CCA only in areas of the campus that are non-public.

HOW WILL CCA RESPOND TO INQUIRIES AND REQUESTS FROM IMMIGRATION OFFICERS

CCA will:

  • Allow access to non-public areas of campus to immigration officers only upon CCA determination that there is a valid judicial warrant;
  • Notify, as soon as possible, a student, faculty or staff members’ emergency contact if there is a reason to believe that s/he has been taken into custody by immigration officers; and
  • Maintain a contact list of legal services providers who provide legal immigration representation, and provide access to such contact list free of charge to any and all students, faculty and staff members who request it.

CCA will also refrain from assisting in the disclosure of personal information about a student, faculty, or staff of CCA, except as follows:

  1. With the consent of the person identified, or if the person is under 18 years of age, with the consent of the parent or guardian of the person identified;
  2. As may legally be disclosed under state and federal privacy laws;
  3. For the programmatic purpose for which the information was obtained;
  4. As part of a directory that does not include residence addresses or individual persons’ course schedules and that the person has not elected to opt out of; or
  5. In response to a valid and enforceable judicial warrant, court order, or subpoena.

CCA will make reasonable efforts to assist students affected by immigration enforcement action with eligibility for financial aid, fellowship stipends, exemption from nonresident tuition fees, funding for research or other educational projects, housing stipends or services, or other benefits awarded or received, where appropriate in the judgment of CCA.

CCA shall also permit detained or deported students to be re-enrolled if and when the student is able to return to CCA, subject to the written approval by CCA. It is the intent of CCA that CCA make reasonable and good-faith efforts to provide for a seamless transition in a student’s enrollment and reacquisition of campus services and supports where appropriate in the judgment of CCA.

VI. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Many international students participate in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of State’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Under SEVP, colleges and universities have a designated officer who oversees SEVP requirements for CCA students, and in the case of CCA, that person is the Director of International Student Services.

Under SEVP, CCA is legally required to report certain information about international students of this program to the federal government.

This Policy does not apply to governmental requests or inquiries as to international students under SEVP or as otherwise mandated by law.

VII. CCA RESOURCES AND SAFE SPACES ON CAMPUS

All students, faculty and staff, regardless of their immigration status, are encouraged to take advantage of the resources and programs that are offered at CCA.

The International Student Services Office of CCA is a resource for International students at CCA. Students are encouraged to contact the Senior Director and the Assistant Director of International Student Services.

Student Affairs staff are also available to support all students, including those who may be affected by immigration orders.

Students with questions about financial aid should contact the Director of Financial Aid.

Students, faculty and staff with questions about employment should contact Human Resources.

VIII. DISSEMINATION OF POLICY; TRAINING AND PREVENTION

As a part of CCA’s commitment to maintaining its compliance with federal and state law, CCA will:

  • Post on its website in a conspicuous location the contents of this Policy;
  • Email each semester to all students, faculty, and staff a copy of this Policy; and
  • Train staff to respond, in a sensitive manner, to concerns of undocumented students and other students, faculty, and staff who may be subject to a federal immigration order or inquiry, or who may face similar issues, and whose education or employment is at risk because of federal immigration actions.

IX. IMMIGRATION-RELATED RESOURCES

Below is a list of immigration-related resources, including low-cost and free options. Please contact the desired agency regarding eligibility for services, as CCA does not maintain current information as to the eligibility of services.

All students, faculty and staff members of CCA are encouraged to consult with qualified legal immigration professionals regarding their individual rights and circumstances.

To learn more about individual rights and guidance on what to say or how to respond to immigration enforcement action, the following are links to publically available resources in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and other languages:

www.nilc.org/get-involved/community-education-resources/know-your-rights/

www.ACLU.org/know-your-rights/

Local Law Clinics:

University of San Francisco Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic

2130 Fulton Street

San Francisco, CA 94117-1080

(415) 422-6307

Berkeley Immigration Law Clinic (BILC)

UC Berkeley

(510) 643-4800

clinicalprogram@law.berkeley.edu

East Bay Community Law Center

2921 Adeline Street

Berkeley, CA 94703

(510) 548-4040

http://ebclc.org

Immigration-Related Services, San Francisco Bay Area:

Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO)

1121 Mission Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 567-6255

http://www.apilegaloutreach.org

Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, Oakland Office

1305 Franklin Street, Suite 410

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 251-2846

http://www.apilegaloutreach.org

California Human Development

3315 Airway Drive

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

(707) 523-1155

http://californiahumandevelopment.org

Canal Alliance

91 Larkspur Street

San Rafael, CA 94901

(415) 454-2640

http://canalalliance.org

Catholic Charities of San Francisco

990 Eddy Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

(415) 972-1200

https://catholiccharitiessf.org

Catholic Charities of East Bay

433 Jefferson Street

Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 768-3100

http://www.cceb.org

Catholic Charities of California, Inc.

1107 Ninth Street, Suite 707

Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 706-1539

http://catholiccharitiesca.org/

Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC)

405 Fourteenth Street, Suite 909

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 272-2730

https://cliniclegal.org

Central American Resource Center of Northern California

3101 Mission Street, Suite 101

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 642-4400

http://www.carecensf.org

Centro Legal de la Raza

3400 E. 12th Street

Oakland, CA 94601

(510) 437-1554

http://centrolegal.org

Chinese for Affirmative Action

17 Walter U. Lum Place

San Francisco, CA 94108

(415) 274-6750

http://www.caasf.org

East Bay Community Law Center

2921 Adeline Street

Berkeley, CA 94703

(510) 548-4040

http://ebclc.org

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant

2362 Bancroft Way

Berkeley, CA 94704

(510) 540-5296

https://eastbaysanctuary.org

Immigration Center for Women and Children

www.icwclaw.org

San Francisco Office

3543 18th Street, Suite 32
San Francisco, CA 94110

Tel: 415.861.1449
Fax: 415.861.1681

Oakland Office

1440 Broadway, Suite 402
Oakland, CA 94612

Tel: 510.251.0150
Fax: 510.593.2167

Immigrant Legal Resource Center

1663 Mission Street, Suite 602

San Francisco, CA 94013

(415) 255-9499

https://www.ilrc.org

International Institute of the Bay Area

657 Mission Street, Suite 301

San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 538-8100 ext.206

3240 Lone Tree Way, Suite 202

Antioch, CA

(925) 237-8581

http://www.iibayarea.org

International Rescue Committee (Oakland)

405 14th Street, Suite 1415

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 452-8222

https://www.rescue.org/

La Raza Centro Legal, Inc.

474 Valencia Street, Suite 295

San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 575-3500

http://www.lrcl.org

WE RISE SF/Labor Center for Immigrant Justice (SF Labor Council)

240 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 302

San Francisco, Ca 94102

tryan@werisesf.org

415-440-8798

415-608-7535 cell

Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)

1425 Koll Circle, Suite 109

San Jose, CA 95112

(408) 453-3003

http://www.siren-bayarea.org

Other National Immigration-Related Services:

National Immigration Law Center (NILC)

www.nilc.org

American Civil Liberties Union

www.ACLU.org/know-your-rights

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

http://www.ice.gov

Procedures

IF AN IMMIGRATION OFFICER COMES TO CCA CAMPUS

All student, faculty and staff members of CCA are directed to follow this Policy if there is an inquiry, request, order or visit from an immigration officer.

All immigration officers, including those delivering legal papers, such as subpoenas or warrants, must check-in at a campus Public Safety desk during normal business hours. All immigration officers will be asked to wait at the campus Public Safety desk for further information. The CCA Public Safety officer on duty at the time shall then contact the Vice President of Human Resources, Ms. Maira Lazdins, and await Ms. Lazdins’s instructions. If Ms. Lazdins is unavailable, Public Safety should contact one of the designees listed above or the CCA Director of Public Safety.

All students, faculty and staff members must promptly notify CCA Public Safety at 415-703-9510, if an ICE officer comes to campus to execute a federal immigration order. The CCA Public Safety Officer shall then contact the Vice President of Human Resources, Ms. Maira Lazdins, or if Ms. Lazdins is unavailable, one of the designees listed above or the Director of Campus Safety, and await instructions.

All students, faculty and staff members shall be neither obstructive nor assistive, and neither refer to or give information or inspection, but rather, should refer the request or inquiry to the appropriate officers at the College as described above.

Students, faculty and staff members should respectfully ask the immigration officer to wait while the request is forwarded to the CCA point of contact, the Vice President of Human Resources (or an alternate designee). The Vice President of Human Resources (or the alternate designee), in consultation with legal counsel and the President or the President’s designee, will assess the validity of the Immigration Officers’ request or legal papers.

Please do not attempt to verify the validity of any warrant, subpoena or court order yourself.

An acceptable response to an immigration officer is to say, “I can’t give you permission to enter. I must direct this inquiry to the designated officer at the College.”

It is also permissible to ask the officer’s name, ID badge number, and agency of which the officer is affiliated, or to ask the officer if they have a judicial warrant.

Whether or not an immigration officer presents a warrant, students, faculty and staff members should respectfully ask the immigration officer to wait while the request is forwarded to the CCA point of contact, the Associate Vice President of Human Resources (or an alternate designee), who will in turn consult with legal counsel to assess the validity of the request or legal papers.

If an immigration officer is unwilling to wait or if the visit or request occurs at a time that is outside of regular business hours, all students, faculty and staff members should try their best to remain calm and they should continue to notify a CCA Public Safety Officer on duty at the time, who will in turn contact the appropriate contacts at CCA.

For more information and resources regarding how to respond to immigration enforcement action, please see Section IX below.

Additional Information

POINT OF CONTACT AT CCA RELATING TO THIS POLICY

Ms. Maira Lazdins, Vice President, Human Resources, is available to discuss, in a sensitive manner, with students, faculty and staff who have concerns about federal immigration actions. Ms. Lazdins can be reached at mlazdins@cca.edu.

CCA has also designated the following persons to serve as deputies as designees for matters that relate to students, faculty and staff. These deputy officers are as follows:

For students:

  • Ethan Webster
    ewebster@cca.edu

For faculty:

  • Em Meine, Senior Director of Faculty Affairs & Records

emeine@cca.edu

For staff:

  • Maira Lazdins, VP of Human Resources
    mlazdins@cca.edu

In the event of a time-sensitive matter and when the campus may otherwise be closed such that Ms. Lazdins and the alternate deputy officers are unavailable, students, staff and faculty may direct inquiries relating to this Policy to a CCA Public Safety Officer, who will assist in directing the inquiry to the appropriate person.

CCA Public Safety:

On campus (SF): Dial 9510 from any campus phone

Off campus: Dial 415.703.9510

  • Abe Leal, Director of Public Safety

abe@cca.edu

(510) 594-3781

Contacts