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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ for our CSUF communities regarding immigration and undocumented Titans.

Who are the designated campus officials who will review requests from an immigration officer or other federal agent?

The following administrators in the university’s Office of Risk Management and Compliance are the only campus administrators who may verify the legality of any warrants, court orders and/or subpoenas or determine whether an immigration officer may access an area of the university.

  • Anne Grogan, Compliance Manager
  • John Beisner, Executive Director, Risk Management and Compliance
  • Michael Coughlin, University Risk Manager

In addition to their campus emails and extensions, they can be reached at 657-278-7475 specifically for matters related to immigration and requests from immigration officers. This is a monitored line. If the contact occurs outside of business hours, call 657-278-7475 or the CSUF Police Department at 657-278-2515.

What should I do if I am contacted by a federal agent and the agent asks me to identify a student or employee, requests employee or student records, or requests access to a campus area?

If a federal immigration officer asks you to identify a student or employee, requests employee or student records or information, or requests access to campus areas:

  • Follow the instructions on the Protocols Card | en Español.
  • Stay Calm: Remember to remain calm if what you see or hear causes concern. Safety is our top priority.
  • Report: If the federal agent does not respond and proceeds assertively with their actions, or enters non-public spaces without permission, do not interfere or obstruct them.
    • Immediately contact the CSUF Police Department at 657-278-2515.
  • Inform: If the agent presents a warrant or subpoena, inform the agent that you are not obstructing their process and do not have the authority to respond to the request.
    • Call Risk Management (HRIE) at 657-278-7475
      (Anne Grogan, John Beisner, or Michael Coughlin are the only campus officials designated to review federal warrants and subpoenas).
    • If the contact occurs outside of business hours, call Risk Management at 657-278-7475 or the CSUF Police Department at 657-278-2515.
    • If possible, provide Risk Management or the CSUF Police Department with the agency affiliation, number of agents, and other identifying information.

If you see a federal agent or vehicle on campus:

  • Follow the instructions on the Protocols Card | en Español.
  • Stay Calm: Remember to remain calm if what see or hear causes concern. Safety is our top priority.
  • Report: Report what you see to either:
    • CSUF Police Department at 657-278-2515
    • Risk Management (HRIE) at 657-278-7475
  • Inform: Provide as much information as possible when reporting. Doing so will help verification efforts.

    Do not interfere or obstruct if you choose to take photographs or video.

What should I do if I see a federal immigration officer on campus or read/heard that an officer is on campus?

  • Remember to remain calm if what you see or hear causes concern. Safety is our top priority.
  • Report what you see to either:
    • CSUF Police Department at 657-278-2515
    • Risk Management (HRIE) at 657-278-7475
  • Provide as much information as soon as possible when reporting.
  • Do not interfere or obstruct law enforcement actions if you choose to take photographs or video.

What resources are available to me?

Guidance is available on the Support for Employees and Support for Students pages.

Will the university police officers undertake joint efforts with federal agents to apprehend or identify and remove individuals from campus?

No. California State University, Fullerton police officers will not contact, detain, question or arrest an individual solely on the basis of suspected undocumented immigration status or to discover the immigration status of any individual. The CSUF Police Department will not undertake joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement authorities to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law. In addition, except as otherwise required by federal law, the University may not provide voluntary consent to a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer to enter non-public areas of the campus.

If federal immigration officers, including ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, conduct immigration enforcement activities on campus, the CSUF Police Department may be called in to prevent injuries or property damage. In addition, where other federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI or DEA have reason to pursue criminal suspects on campus, CSUF police officers may cooperate with those efforts to enforce criminal laws. 

Is the university required to share my immigration status, personal or personnel records with federal law enforcement agencies?

Personal and personally identifiable information in CSU records, and those records themselves, are protected by a wide variety of federal and state privacy laws (for example FERPA) and university policies. Federal immigration enforcement officers generally have no greater access to student employees or other CSU records than any member of the public unless they have a valid subpoena.

Are there different requirements for information concerning international students? 

International students are subject to different requirements. Universities are required to exchange data with federal immigration agencies on the status of international students on F-1, J-1 or M Visas through use of a government database (SEVIS) which is part of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). In addition, certain information about these students is required to be retained and produced by CSUF upon request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE.

According to the Department of Education, FERPA permits institutions to comply with information requests from DHS in order to comply with the requirements of the SEVP.

Can the CSU system prevent federal agents from coming onto campus or entering CSU property? 

Generally, no. CSU is a public university, and a large portion of the CSU property is open to the general public. The areas on campus that are open to the general public also are open to federal agents. CSU does not have authority to prohibit federal agents from coming on campus to access those public areas even if their purpose is to enforce federal law. However, except as otherwise required by federal law, the University may not provide voluntary consent to a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer to enter non-public areas of the campus.

Federal agents may also be on campus for non-enforcement related purposes, including as guest speakers in a class or for recruitment activities. It is a mistake to assume that any federal agents visiting the university is present to apprehend or remove a member of the CSU community. False rumors about federal actions on campus can spread anxiety and panic. If you observe federal agents on campus and have concerns about their activities, follow the instructions on the Immigration Protocols Card.

What is expected of me as a CSU employee? 

Generally, CSU employees are not required to affirmatively assist federal agents or grant permission to enter campus spaces that are not open to the public when agents do not have a judicial warrant or court order to enter. 

If you are approached by the federal agent or see a federal agent on campus, please follow the instructions on the Protocols Card.

All members of the university community regardless of their immigration status are encouraged to review and become familiar with the information found under the Rights and Protections tab. 

What are my rights? 

The following advice is compiled and summarized from various resources about your rights. It is not a substitute for legal advice.

  • You have the right to remain silent. You are not obligated to answer questions from a federal agent.
  • You have the right to ask to speak to an attorney. Your refusal to talk to an agent may not be used against you if you say, “I want to speak to an attorney before speaking with you.” Even if you have started a conversation, you are allowed to tell the agent you do not want to answer any more questions without a lawyer present. Asking for an attorney does not make you more suspicious.
  • You are not required to admit an agent to your home or apartment, unless the agent has an appropriate warrant. If the agent wants to enter your home, you have the right to ask for a warrant, which is a document signed by a judge saying the agent has the right to enter your home.
  • You have the right to access your police report. State and local law enforcement agencies cannot deny a victim of a crime access to their crime report because the victim cannot prove lawful presence in the country.
  • Your child has a right to a free public education regardless of immigration status. They also have a right to be in a public school learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and intimidation. Schools must accept a variety of documents from the student’s parent or guardian to demonstrate proof of age and residency. Information about citizenship/immigration status is never needed for school enrollment. You do not have to share information regarding passports or visas, or regarding the immigration status of a child, parent, guardian or other family member. And you do not have to provide a Social Security number or other card for either enrollment or for free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch.
  • State and local law enforcement cannot ask for your immigration status for immigration enforcement purposes. California law expressly prohibits law enforcement from inquiring about a person’s immigration status for immigration enforcement purposes.
  • State and local law enforcement cannot share your personal information for immigration enforcement purposes. This includes your home or work address for immigration purposes, unless that information is available to the public or unless that information involves previous criminal arrest, convictions or similar criminal history.
  • State and local law enforcement cannot assist ICE with immigration enforcement, with very limited exceptions. This means state and local law enforcement cannot investigate, cannot interrogate, cannot arrest and cannot detain you unless they are part of a joint federal task force where the primary purpose of the task force is not immigration enforcement.
  • Follow the instructions on the Protocols Card | en Español.

What happens if a student, staff or faculty member is taken into custody? 

The campus will attempt to notify the emergency contact of the person taken into custody as a result of an immigration enforcement action. For this reason, it is very important to make sure that your emergency contact information is current. 

Employees can update or confirm their emergency contact information by taking the following steps.

  • Log into the campus portal and click the Employee Home Page button.
  • On the Employee Self Service dashboard, click the CSU Personal Details icon, then select Emergency Contacts in the menu on the left side of the page.

Can federal agents enter university-owned houses, residence halls and apartments without consent from occupants? 

When a federal agent has a criminal search or arrest warrant that is signed by a judicial officer, the agent does not need consent to enter the premises or arrest an individual named in the warrant. Prior to a federal agent entering a premise or making an arrest, a designated campus official will review and verify any warrant.

In addition, if a federal agent does not respond and proceeds assertively with their actions, or enters non-public spaces without permission, do not interfer or obstruct them. Immediately contact the CSUF Police Department at 657-278-2515.