Students gathered in MLK Plaza on campus to peacefully protest the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD), demanding official protections for international students who are at risk of detainment by Immigrations Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the current Trump Administration. This demonstrative march, held on May 2 by UMaine Jewish Voice for Peace in partnership with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), sought answers to how university law enforcement would respond to the presence of ICE in consideration of the international student community.
“We supports students’ right to protest and we’re aware that it’s going to happen. Our priority is the safety of all students and staff and faculty on the University of Maine campus. That has always been and that will never change. We’re here for their safety,” said UMPD Chief William Flagg in a statement on May 1.
Vice President of JVP Willow Cunningham led the Friday demonstration in rainy weather conditions. They summarized the movement as a push for the UMaine System to protect students, faculty and staff to the fullest extent permissible by law. Cunningham expressed that the dozens of participants in attendance serve as a testament to the student commitment for justice and liberation.
While the group originally planned to march to the police department on Rangely Road, the location shifted after a conversation that included Cunningham, UMPD Chief William Flagg, and JVP President Talia Cullum. According to Cunningham, Chief Flagg emphasized during the meeting that UMPD was on the side of students, but communications on the matter would need to be coordinated across the administration. Therefore, the participating students decided to march to Alumni Hall to address administrators directly from outside.
“Dean Gifford reached out to Talia and I saying that Chief Flagg was available to meet with us, and we spoke with him on Wednesday. Until this point, there had been no indication that this was possible or likely,” said Cunningham. “Their hand was forced by the announcement of this action.”
On January 29, an email from Interim Dean of Students Andrea Gifford with the subject line “Update on Administrative Executive Orders, wrote “Much remains to be learned about how the recent federal directives on immigration enforcement, university programs and services, and research funding will affect our universities, and our students, faculty and staff. We will continue to assess and update the community as more details are known.”
Cunningham emphasized that although there have been new developments throughout the last few months, no further updates were shared with the community by administrators.
For example, the Department of Homeland Security cancelled roughly 3,000 student visas based on algorithmic searches and deported U.S. citizens along with their parents who are immigrants without a trial or proper procedures, according to Cunningham. AP News reported that “the government said it would issue new guidelines for canceling a student’s legal status.” On April 30, the House Republicans blocked a bill ensuring ICE will not deport American citizens.
“Despite all of these high profile, widely reported and frankly, terrifying attacks on civil rights in our nation, we have heard nothing from our system administrators…They don’t want to attract attention, or say anything that might even hint at being displeased with the current state of affairs,” said Cunningham.
On April 22, Bates, Colby and Bowdoin Colleges, along with the University of New England, joined 230 university leaders across the country in signing a letter to Trump Administration titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement.” In this statement, the institutions unified in opposition to the “unprecedented governmental overreach” and “political interference” nationally impacting higher education.
“When UMaine was contacted about this, our spokesperson, Samantha Warren, said ‘No comment.’ Do we really have no comment? It’s ridiculous. As we speak, the the Big Ten universities are working on a mutual defense pact to ensure that any university in the pact targeted by the Trump Administration will have legal and financial support from all of their peer institutions,” said Cunningham.
After Cunningham addressed the crowd, they led some chants, including, “UMS must not comply! Do not let our freedoms die,” and “What’s our motto? Dirigo! Does that mean silence? No!”
The group first walked through the Memorial Union and then the first floor of Fogler Library, silently displaying their signs. Once arriving outside of Alumni Hall, the chants continued, specifically directed toward President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Chancellor Daniel Malloy.
Back at MLK Plaza, Ella Frick spoke to the crowd about a situation where UMPD filed an information report relating to a safety incident. She expressed feeling validated by the organization in that moment, while also insisting that UMPD must clarify its stance on ICE cooperation.
“My case should not be an isolated incident. This is how the UMPD is obligated to treat each student. I know the international students at UMO… have been facing a terror ten times the size of mine,” said Frick. “The threat of abduction and disappearance by ICE has haunted many immigrants across America.”
A flyer for the event distributed across campus and shared via Instagram by JVP and SDS alleges that UMPD was said by UMaine administrators to have a “great working relationship” with the Bangor ICE Office. Cunningham clarified that the quote comes from Gifford, and was corroborated by Chief Flagg at the meeting on April 30.
According to Gifford, the phrase “working relationship” was misinterpreted. She also noted that the UMaine System is unable to create policies that directly oppose federal regulations.
“While the UMaine Police Department maintains professional relationships with various other law enforcement agencies, it does not have active partnership agreements related to immigration enforcement and it’s priority is to promote a safe environment for every student, faculty and staff,” said Gifford.
Cunningham clarified that students and faculty need resources that outline a course of action in the event that ICE enters campus, specifically “who to call, what to do and what to say if contacted by an ICE agent.” While the Jan. 29 email mentioned that residence halls and research labs have restricted access to the public, there is still confusion as to exactly where ICE theoretically may and may not be permitted.
“We need the UMS administration to be prepared to notify the campus of the presence of ICE agents via the campus-wide alert system, and we need strong clarification on what spaces on campus are considered non-public,” said Cunningham.
