Fear and uncertainty: Pittsburgh college students worry about ICE raids on campus

Following a series of high-profile arrests of international students at universities across the country, concerns are growing at Pittsburgh’s major institutions over potential immigration enforcement actions on campus.

While spokespeople for the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University stated they were unaware of any recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity on their campuses, students remain on edge. Social media speculation has only fueled the anxiety.

Lauren Porter, a 19-year-old student at Pitt, said she has heard rumors that "ICE is coming to campus next week or soon." Ziggy Khu, 22, echoed similar concerns, noting the rapid spread of unverified claims online. Though authorities have provided no evidence to support these rumors, the fear is real—especially in light of the recent detention of Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk.

Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish national, was detained outside her Massachusetts apartment by six masked federal agents. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that her visa had been revoked over alleged activities supporting Hamas, though no public evidence has been presented. Ozturk’s involvement in campus activism, particularly her co-authorship of an op-ed criticizing Tufts University’s response to pro-Palestinian student protests, has led many to suspect that her arrest was politically motivated.

Other recent cases include the detentions of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and permanent U.S. resident involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama. The pattern of arrests has left many international students wondering if legal status matters under the current administration’s immigration policies.

“It’s such an outrage,” said Alice Kang, a 20-year-old student at Carnegie Mellon. “It’s even crazier that ICE is doing it in such a terrorizing and unprofessional manner.”

The uncertainty is particularly distressing for students on visas. Yiming Li, a 21-year-old Carnegie Mellon student from China, worries that any political expression—even within the bounds of the First Amendment—could put his status at risk. Carnegie Mellon was one of six universities recently contacted by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party for information on its international students and research collaborations with China-based institutions.

“I’m sad to hear about people getting their visas revoked for practicing political speech,” Li said. “That’s why I try to not get into trouble.”

At Carnegie Mellon, where international students make up 39% of the student body, the Office of International Education advises students to ensure their immigration paperwork is up to date and securely stored. Meanwhile, at Point Park University, a student-led initiative is demanding administrative action to limit ICE’s presence on campus. The petition, which had more than 220 signatures as of Thursday, calls for the university to bar ICE from campus without a warrant, refuse to share student information with immigration authorities, and prevent campus police from assisting with enforcement efforts unless legally required.

Legal experts are also weighing in. According to Vic Walczak, legal counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania, his organization would likely take legal action if similar arrests occurred in the state. The ACLU’s Massachusetts chapter has already secured a federal court order preventing the government from deporting Ozturk.

“It’s pretty clear they’re being picked up not because they’re undocumented or have lost immigration status, but purely because the government doesn’t like what they said,” Walczak stated. “And if there’s any cardinal rule under the First Amendment, you cannot punish somebody because you don’t like what they say.”

With tensions running high, Pittsburgh’s universities are now faced with the challenge of balancing immigration enforcement concerns with the rights and safety of their international students. As national policies continue to shift, students remain watchful, uncertain about what the future holds.