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Florida University Police Can Enforce Immigration Laws Under ICE Agreements
Florida university police can question people about immigration status and make certain arrests under ICE agreements.
By  Ernesto Iván Vargas Martínez
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ICE en universidades de Florida: ¿qué pueden hacer? Florida University Police Can Enforce Immigration Laws Under ICE Agreements
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Posted on 11/11/26 at 23:00

Police departments at Florida’s public universities have been authorized to carry out certain federal immigration enforcement duties under agreements with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting student protests and concerns about individual rights on campus.

Florida is the only state where public university police departments participate in ICE immigration enforcement agreements, according to reporting by Florida Phoenix and a review of the agency’s records.

  • Why it matters: Participating university police officers can question individuals about their immigration status and make certain arrests under federal authority, raising questions among students about the scope of those powers and their rights.

ICE on Florida University Campuses: What Can Police Officers Do?

The agreements are part of the federal 287(g) program, which allows ICE to train and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to perform specified immigration enforcement duties under federal supervision.

According to the Miami Herald, participating Florida institutions adopted the Task Force Model, which gives trained campus officers authority to carry out certain federal immigration functions while performing their law enforcement duties.

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  • The facts: By July 2025, 13 Florida public college and university police departments had finalized agreements with ICE, although additional institutions had signed agreements at various stages of approval.
  • The scope: Authorized officers can question individuals about their immigration status, execute certain immigration-related warrants, and make arrests without a judicial warrant when federal legal requirements are satisfied.

Participating institutions include Florida International University (FIU), the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Central Florida.

However, signing an agreement does not automatically mean immigration raids have taken place on campus. FIU has stated that its police department has not conducted immigration-related enforcement operations on its campuses since entering the agreement.

Why Is Florida the Only State With University Police ICE Agreements?

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a directive on February 19, 2025, encouraging state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE through agreements that expand their role in federal immigration enforcement.

Public universities subsequently pursued similar agreements for their campus police departments, although the applicable legislation did not specifically require university police agencies to participate.

  • The difference: ICE has 287(g) partnerships with law enforcement agencies across numerous states, but Florida is the only state identified in the cited reporting as having public university police departments participating in the program.
  • The timeline: FIU signed its initial agreement in March 2025, and federal authorities finalized it on July 7 of that year.

The expansion prompted concerns from university faculty members about possible immigration-related questioning and detention based on officers’ assessments of an individual’s immigration status.

FIU Students Sue University After Anti-ICE Protest

On March 13, 2026, FIU students staged a silent protest during an event attended by university President Jeanette Nuñez.

The students wore T-shirts displaying the message «ICE OFF FIU.» Seven subsequently faced university disciplinary proceedings for allegedly violating restrictions on expressive activities inside campus buildings.

  • The lawsuit: On August 11, the student organization ICEBreakers and seven of its members filed a federal lawsuit with legal support from the ACLU of Florida and Community Justice Project.
  • The court ruling: On August 23, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction preventing FIU from enforcing its blanket restriction on indoor expressive activities while the case proceeds.

The lawsuit challenges the university’s restrictions on expression under the First Amendment. It does not directly seek to invalidate FIU’s agreement with ICE.

What Should Students Do if Campus Police Ask About Immigration Status?

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) emphasizes that people in the United States have constitutional rights regardless of their immigration status, although some legal obligations differ depending on the circumstances.

Remain silent: You can state that you wish to remain silent and ask whether you are free to leave. In Florida, you may be required to identify yourself to law enforcement during certain lawful stops.

Documents and legal assistance: Noncitizens age 18 and older who have been issued valid immigration registration documents are generally required to carry them and present them when requested by authorized immigration officers.

Students who are detained can request legal assistance and should avoid signing documents they do not understand before consulting a qualified attorney. Unlike in criminal proceedings, the government generally does not provide free appointed counsel in immigration proceedings.

  • What’s next: The FIU lawsuit remains ongoing, and the preliminary injunction protects students against enforcement of the challenged campus protest restriction while further legal proceedings continue.

Source: UNOTV

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