The taxpayer-funded University of Maine School of Law’s Dean of Students sent out a notice to students and staff Thursday, encouraging them to call an anti-ICE hotline and providing pointers on recording immigration enforcement activities.
“The ACLU of Maine, ILAP, and Clinics at Maine Law have collaborated to create the attached document, “Preparing for & Responding to Immigration Enforcement Activity in Maine.” This document includes embedded hyperlinks that cover how to prepare for an ICE encounter, what to do if you witness an ICE encounter, and how to support someone who has been detained by ICE,” said Dean of Students Camrin Rivera.
Rivera lists his pronouns in his email signature.
The communication focused on security protocols, reminding students that visitors must check in and warning that their access policies even apply to law enforcement, specifically calling out ICE agents.
“This access policy applies to all federal and state public officials, including, without limitation, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other law enforcement agencies,” said Rivera.
He urged students not to open or hold doors for people they don’t personally know, and reminded them that the school does not disclose any personal information to law enforcement without written consent or a legal exception requiring it to do so.
UMaine Law’s Clinics program collaborated with the pro-immigrant American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) to produce a flyer on how to prepare for and respond to immigration activities.
Rivera attached the flier, which includes links to a hotline where people can report immigration enforcement activities to help undocumented individuals avoid capture.
Other links include instructions on how to safely record ICE agents and an ACLU link to report instances where a student or staff member believes ICE has violated someone’s rights.
In addition to sending out the flyer, the dean offered a variety of services to students who are concerned for their safety in light of potential immigration enforcement actions.
“If you are concerned for your safety walking to and from the parking lot to campus, we can arrange for someone to walk with you,” said Rivera.
Rivera offered to set up a personal meeting with any students who need assistance walking to their cars or who are afraid for their safety while traveling to and from school.
The school also offers counseling via UWill, a “student mental health and wellness” group that partners with the taxpayer-funded institution, for any students whose mental health is impacted by the thought of U.S. law being enforced.
This naturally raises questions about why the taxpayer-funded law school is so concerned about ICE activities unless they knowingly employ or enroll illegal immigrants.
An investigation conducted by The Maine Wire in 2024 revealed that, while only 5.5 percent of professors across the state’s major universities were registered Republicans, not one Republican taught at UMaine Law.
