Resources for Immigrant Families

As a Catholic, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Sanctuary campus, we hold steadfast to our mission of fostering a community of inclusion, compassion, and justice for all students. We are committed to offering spaces to process, legal assistance, mental health services, and empowerment through knowledge and resources to support you. Please review the important information below:

Frequently Asked Questions Related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers on Dominican University Property

Yes, in most instances. Dominican University is a private institution and as such reserves the right to regulate its campus property. No one can enter a private area of your business without your permission or a judicial warrant.

It is important to note that ICE or federal officials from the Department of Homeland Security may be on campus for reasons unrelated to enforcement actions. Due to our international programs, the university is required to report certain information about F-1 or J-1 visa status students to ICE. This reporting is routine, and the university is required to comply with on-site visits to review records when requested.

Federal immigration enforcement officers are required to have a criminal arrest or search warrant to lawfully enter limited access, nonpublic areas without consent. Most often, immigration officers who might come to campus would be acting on civil, not criminal, authority, and generally carry administrative warrants. Administrative warrants are not signed by a judge and do not authorize officers to enter limited access areas without consent.

If a federal immigration enforcement officer asks for access to a residence hall or other limited access area, university employees should inform the immigration officer that university policy requires you to check in at a welcome and information desk and be escorted through campus by a Campus Safety officer. University employees should ask the immigration officer for their name, identification number and agency affiliation. Ask the officer to wait and immediately call Campus Safety at 708-524-5999 and notify them of the immigration officer’s presence. If you do not feel comfortable speaking with the officers, please contact Campus Safety immediately relaying their current location.

No. The university will not support the enforcement of a warrant issued by ICE that is solely for an administrative matter, such as residency or immigration status. However, the university will be required to enforce a criminal warrant from any law enforcement agency, including ICE. Criminal warrants are issued when probable cause exists to believe the named subject in the warrant has committed a crime. 

Illinois state law prohibits law enforcement from acting on federal detainers or stopping, arresting, or searching an individual based solely on immigration status (5 ILCS 805/-Illinois TRUST Act). As of June 21, 2019, the Keep Illinois Families Together Act (5 ILCS 835) officially prohibits state and local law enforcement in the state of Illinois from entering into 287(g) agreements with ICE. Cook County, the city of Chicago and the village of River Forest also have similar policies in place. 

Yes. A residential hall room is considered a limited access area and cannot be legally accessed by immigration enforcement officers without a valid criminal warrant or the voluntary consent of the occupant. A student need not allow entry to any law enforcement officer who is not in possession of a criminal warrant, regardless of what that officer might say. Students should call Campus Safety immediately to report the enforcement officers' presence, so that they may respond to the area and address the officers. 

Not without a criminal warrant or consent. A student’s rights are the same regardless of whether they live on campus or off campus. A student need not allow entry to any law enforcement officer who is not in possession of a criminal warrant, regardless of what that officer might say.

Individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes, both on and off campus. A warrant of removal/deportation (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warrant) is a civil or administrative warrant and is not signed by a judge. Administrative warrants authorize officers to enter a home without consent. If an immigration officer has a civil or administrative warrant, undocumented students have a personal choice whether to grant consent to enter their residence. However, if a law enforcement officer has a criminal search or arrest warrant signed by a judge, the officer does not need consent to enter the apartment or arrest an individual named in the warrant.

In all cases, individuals have the right to remain silent under the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and do not need to answer questions, or sign or provide any documents without a lawyer present. You can print this Know Your Rights card created by the Illinois Coalition by Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and carry it with you anywhere you go.

Faculty or staff who receive a request from a federal officer for any information about a student should contact Campus Safety for assistance. Personally identifiable educational and university health records are protected by a variety of privacy laws including the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). As a university employee, you are required to maintain the confidentiality of these records.

If you receive a request for personally identifiable information or records, or if a federal immigration enforcement officer gives you a warrant or subpoena seeking such records, before providing any information, you should confirm that you are authorized to provide access to the specified records or information. Ask the officer for their name, identification number and agency affiliation. Ask for a copy of any warrant or subpoena presented, inform the officer that you are not obstructing their process but need to contact the appropriate personnel for assistance, and call Campus Safety for instructions on responding to the request.

International students and scholars are affected differently. According to the Department of Education, the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) permits institutions to comply with information requests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to comply with the requirements of the program. However, the information that can be requested and provided is limited to the categories listed in DHS regulations, and that request must be made to a University Principal Designated School Official (PDSO). For other information, international student records are entitled to the same FERPA protection that otherwise governs student education records in the United States.

Anyone with emergency issues should still call 911, but those with non-emergency safety concerns may also contact these offices: