Editor’s note: A previous version of this story implied that the guidance sent by DePaul on Jan. 20 only applied to Public Safety officers, which has been corrected. The current guidance for RAs also has been moved up in the story and the lead photo has been replaced so as not to imply that ICE has been present on campus. Read our full corrections policy here. 

A shaky rollout of guidance for DePaul residence advisers has led to uncertainty for the student workers. They worry that they will be the first point of contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers if they  attempt to enter “limited access, nonpublic areas” on the university’s campus. 

One RA that works in a first-year hall, who asked to not be identified out of fear of losing their job, said  it has been “chaotic” for Housing workers when trying to understand what their role is if ICE encounters them. That RA and others claim that DePaul said their response to ICE and law enforcement should be the same — and that is “problematic.”  

DePaul employs 57 students as resident advisers across DePaul’s 12 dorm and apartment-style residence halls on the Lincoln Park Campus. 

Chicago is under a perpetual threat of immigration raids as ICE has detained more than 100 people in Chicago since President Donald Trump took office. The president has made it clear that the city is a target due to its welcoming city ordinance. DePaul has reaffirmed its support to all students regardless of immigration status.

Shortly before Trump took office, DePaul restated its policies on ICE encounters on January 20.  The email linked to a page that affirmed, “DePaul’s Public Safety Office does not ask anyone about their immigration status and does not create or maintain any records relating to the immigration status of members of the DePaul community.” 

The current guidelines encourage RAs to call their higher-ups in the situation that ICE comes to campus. 

“If a law enforcement officer were to arrive on campus, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resident advisors should call Public Safety and their staff supervisor,” Rick Moreci, associate vice president of student affairs, said in a statement to The DePaulia. 

The guidelines, laid out by the university’s general counsel, add that Public Safety would not assist with an arrest unless ICE has a valid criminal judicial warrant, which is different from an ICE civil immigration warrant. A judicial warrant is signed by a judge and allows officers to enter limited spaces and make arrests without permission. There are 46 students living on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus who are identified as having an  “out-of-country” geographic origin, according to DePaul Institutional Research & Market Analytics. These students could be international, undocumented or “DACAmented.” DePaul Housing staff do not ask for immigration status when students are applying for on-campus housing or explicitly ask in application for attendance.