On Feb. 11, United Student Government (USG) released a statement on Instagram condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) expanded permissions to enter university campuses. The statement was approved by USG on Feb. 6 and published this Monday. The memo follows a Jan. 31 Public Safety email regarding guidelines for interacting with ICE officers.

Eron Maltzman, GSB ’26, explained that the statement was intended to identify USG as a source of support for students, particularly in the wake of recent news that ICE was in the Bronx. Maltzman also clarified that there were no known incidents of law enforcement officials on campus on Feb. 6.

On Jan. 21, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued directives that allowed for federal agencies Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to enter sensitive areas. According to a now overturned 2021 memorandum from the DHS, sensitive areas include churches, hospitals and schools, including universities.

“We didn’t want to start a political debate of any kind,” he explained. “[It’s] so that students know that Fordham’s United Student Government at Rose Hill supports [them] no matter what, that we are there as a resource if anyone has any concerns.”

Maltzman and USG Executive Vice President Ava Cascella, FCRH ’26, wrote the memorandum together and presented it for a vote. The majority approved of the statement, according to Maltzman.

“This wasn’t in response to a particular instance of officers on campus… but with this new expansion and with Public Safety releasing their letter – this is something that directly affects the students, whether or not officers come on to campus,” he said.

Going forward, Maltzman noted that USG is awaiting further information from the administration regarding increased enforcement presence.

“At the moment, we’re just listening [to] the administration to see if they want to tell us anything or looking out to see if Public Safety is issuing something else,” he said.