How Current Immigration Enforcement Might Affect Student Rights
By Caleb Pope ’27
News Editor
Written September 13th, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. CST
Recent developments in U.S. policy on immigration have shaken attitudes towards the precedent of previously established rights, and college students are no exception.
At Lake Forest College, according to the school’s website, international students make up around 20% of the school’s student body.
Following the conclusion of the government’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” protests have erupted across the Chicagoland area, sparking discussion on how institutions will deal with the radical changes to immigration procedures across the country.
Protestors raised concerns regarding the change in how immigration is enforced around the country and how this change will affect the status of millions of Americans and legal residents.
Part of this worry stems from the procedure, as well as the profiles of those arrested in the operation. A list of names, which was released in a lawsuit regarding ICE actions, gives detailed statistics regarding arrests.
“The Trump administration on Friday released the names of 614 people whose Chicago-area immigration arrests may have violated a 2022 consent decree, and only 16 of them have criminal histories that present a ‘high public safety risk,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
Of these 16, five were related to domestic battery and five more for battery, two for drunk driving, one was seen as a security threat, and another had a criminal history in another country, with only one person having a narcotics conviction.
Furthermore, the Chicago Tribune reports that the lawsuit alleges repeated violations of a court settlement reached during Operation Midway Blitz.
This settlement sets a bar for arrests and dictates a high threshold for “warrantless arrests” without a prior warrant or probable cause.
Due to the above, many have raised concerns regarding both the validity of ICE targets and the alleged misuse of the warrant system by federal forces.
Davis Kimberly, the Interim Associate Vice President for CARE at Lake Forest College, responded regarding planned action in the event of federal attention being directed toward the area.
“If Public Safety or College officials become aware of a detainment, the College must follow all federal and state law,” she said. “Public Safety will verify warrants and consult counsel and law-enforcement partners before releasing records or permitting access; student education records are protected under FERPA except where a valid court order or subpoena requires disclosure.”
Importantly, no distinction was made by the administration regarding the implications of an ICE detainment of someone without immigration papers, rather than someone with legal residency, or the possibility of a warrant procedure being bypassed entirely.
As the international population of Lake Forest College is so high, students have opinions regarding both how their school might respond and their safety on campus in general.
“I think the school could do better in terms of its communication, rather than sending one email”
One international student, who wished to stay anonymous, said.
Although the school does publish a more extensive FAQ on its website regarding the procedure of an ICE detainment, it makes no mention of what would happen after that detention occurred.
“I have a friend in a journalism class, they had a Lake Forest Police officer come into the class regarding ICE, and when asked whether they would respond to a detention, the officer said they did not know,” another international student, who also wished to remain anonymous, said.