JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida confirmed on Thursday that two of its police officers have begun online training with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The move comes about four months after the university entered into a federal agreement that allows campus police officers to participate in immigration enforcement activities, which is part of the controversial 287(g) program that has sparked debate among students and faculty about its necessity and potential impact on campus.
The 287(g) program is a partnership between local law enforcement agencies and ICE that allows trained officers to perform certain immigration enforcement duties under ICE supervision.
In a statement sent to News4JAX on the matter, a spokesperson for UNF said:
Two UNF Police Department officers began online training with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, per a state directive to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with ICE.
These officers have not been certified by ICE at this time. UPD continues to conduct business on campus as usual.
Spokesperson for the University of North Florida
UNF finalized its agreement with ICE on July 7. Initially, no officers had been trained.
However, according to UNF’s student-run media outlet, Spinnaker, the information was revealed four days after university president Moez Limayem said no ICE training had been scheduled for the institution’s police officers.
News4JAX visited the Jacksonville campus to gauge student reactions. While students declined to appear on camera, some questioned the need for such measures, calling it “excessive for campus” and warning that it “may raise tensions.”
Crime and safety analyst Tom Hackney said the university’s decision can most likely be attributed to cooperating with the federal government, which has made it a priority to execute deportations at a historic level.
“There’s a push to try to get as many law enforcement agencies as they can trained in this,” Hackney said.
According to Hackney, the training is intended to prepare officers for situations where they may encounter individuals wanted by ICE or involved in federal investigations.
“If, for some reason, they came across somebody who was wanted for something, or through the normal course of an investigation found somebody that fit into some of those ICE criteria, they would be able to handle that and have a better relationship with ICE and the feds to address that,” he said.
When asked whether local law enforcement agencies could call on UNF police officers for extra help because of their ICE training, Hackney said that wouldn’t be the case.
“It really wouldn’t work like that. The UNF jurisdiction is that campus, and that’s the same across most public universities in Florida,” Hackney explained. “Those police departments already have their hands full with day-to-day enforcement, so for them to step off campus would be highly unusual. This is really just about fitting into the category of local law enforcement that can partner with federal authorities if needed.”