Support for the Harvard Community in the wake of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Sweeps

Via Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program

As you may have heard, there have been nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting people living in areas that have designated themselves as ‘sanctuary cities.’ The sweeps have resulted in several hundred arrests across the country, and it is believed that approximately 50 people were arrested in Massachusetts. We have information that one person in Boston was arrested, but we do not know of anybody in Cambridge having been arrested. We are not aware of anyone affiliated with Harvard having been arrested.

We want to let the Harvard Community know that we stand ready to provide legal and social work support to members of the Harvard Community who are affected by this raid or any other ICE enforcement practices. We also want to reiterate that the Harvard University Police Department does not play any role in enforcing federal immigration laws, and federal authorities would need a warrant in order to access private spaces on campus. Should any member of our community be approached by immigration authorities, they should be referred to the HUPD.

We want to reiterate that we have not heard of a specific sweep that has affected anybody at Harvard or affiliated with Harvard. We will do our best to keep the Harvard Community informed as we obtain any further information.

Please feel free to reach out to us at 617-495-6648 or on our 24 hour hotline at 857-242-6755 walk in hours remain after 3:00 pm. For students in Harvard College, you may also wish to be in touch with the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for advice and support at kderzon@fas.edu 617-496-4731.