Federal agents have detained hundreds of migrants in New York City in February so far as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, according to reports by The City. Encounters between Fordham students and ICE agents raise questions about how students can protect themselves and others.
Dailey Ward, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, encountered ICE officers in the stairwell of her Hell’s Kitchen apartment on Feb. 4. Alarmed, Ward asked the officers if they had a warrant to enter.
“Clearly it is probably unsafe that they are in this building. So I was just like, ‘hey, why are you guys in here? Do you have a warrant?’ And then one of the guys started pushing me out and said… ‘we don’t need a warrant just to look,’” Ward said.
Ward took her phone out and began recording. Her video, reviewed by The Observer, shows a man in an Enforcement and Removal Officer uniform saying “we don’t need a warrant” in response to Ward’s question as he walks out of the building with two other men. Ward followed the men outside, who entered a black unmarked SUV and sat without driving off.
Ward said she wanted to hold the agents accountable by asking if they had a warrant.
“It is highly dangerous to open one’s door to ICE agents because they do NOT have your best interest in mind.” Eva Lee, president of Fordham’s Immigration Advocacy Coalition
“It seems like there are not too many steps to take against federal organizations, especially ones that operate so secretively as ICE,” Ward said.
She added that she wanted to use her privilege as a white woman and U.S. citizen to challenge the agents in a way other people might be unable to.
“I can use this because there’s no risk of me getting arrested, or even like profiled, or at least a much less of a risk compared to particularly vulnerable populations, such as undocumented immigrants,” Ward said.
Eva Lee, president of Fordham’s Immigration Advocacy Coalition (IAC), wrote in an email that people should be cautious in interactions with ICE agents.
“It is highly dangerous to open one’s door to ICE agents because they do NOT have your best interest in mind. More often than not, predatory agents will aggressively berate households, falsely claiming to wield a search warrant signed by a judge,” Lee wrote.
Trump has issued ten executive orders relating to immigration, ranging from denying public benefits to unauthorized immigrants to expanding who is targeted for deportation.
On Jan. 31 Fordham’s Associate Vice President of the Department of Public Safety, Robert Fitzer, sent an email to members of the Fordham community, addressing the possibility of ICE threats and how Fordham community members should respond if visited by ICE agents.
The university posted a set of guidelines for students, faculty and staff to follow if an ICE officer seeks access to information on Fordham individuals. The guidelines help community members respond to such requests in a manner that complies completely with the law, including any federal and state privacy laws.
Trump has issued ten executive orders relating to immigration, ranging from denying public benefits to unauthorized immigrants to expanding who is targeted for deportation.
In a press release on Feb. 14, Mayor Eric Adams announced the closures of six additional emergency sites dedicated to sheltering and caring for asylum seekers. This includes Creedmoor Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center, the last large tent-based emergency response shelter. In the nearly three years that New York City has been addressing the humanitarian crisis of asylum seekers, the closing of this shelter represents a significant turning point.
Some New York City laws protect residents from discrimination based on immigration status. The New York City Commission on Human Rights “prohibits discriminatory harassment or violence motivated in whole or in part by an individual’s actual or perceived immigration status or national origin.”
There are also sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between the city and ICE. These policies help to protect undocumented immigrants by preventing their arrests and deportations for seeking services like medical care and filing reports. A 2014 detainer law barred ICE officers from New York City jails, and the ICE office in New York City was officially closed in 2015.
The term “sanctuary city” refers to the policies put forward by local governments that limit how they share information with the federal immigration authorities about non-citizens.
Mayor Adams said in a statement on Feb. 13 that he will use his executive powers to allow federal immigration authorities back into the city’s sprawling Rikers Island jail complex, marking a significant shift in the city’s sanctuary policies that prevent it from enforcing immigration law.
“We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years,” Adams said.
In 2017, the New York State Assembly passed a law known as the “New York State Liberty Act,” which made it illegal for police to stop or arrest someone based only on their immigration status. Additionally, when someone would report a crime or seek assistance, the law prohibited government authorities from inquiring about their immigration status.
With the news that the Justice Department dropped criminal corruption and bribery charges against Adams, NPR reported that the change occurred after the Democratic mayor consented to work with Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Four NYC deputy mayors, First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker, resigned from their positions in the Adams administration on Feb 17. In an article by NBC New York 4, the 4 deputy mayors “have confirmed their resignations Monday because they could not fulfill their oath of office as they are being asked by Mayor Eric Adams not to criticize President Donald Trump’s administration on policies that conflict with their work, according to sources familiar with the matter.”
The New York Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs also updated its “Know Your Rights Resources for Immigrant New Yorkers” pamphlet on Jan. 27. Written in fourteen languages, this informational guide outlines what someone can do if an ICE agent approaches them, what to do if their family member or friend is detained, and the sanctuary city laws in New York.
Additional reporting by Stevie Fusco and Sam Bracy