On Wednesday April 2 at 4 p.m., the Hopkins Justice Collective (HJC) and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a press conference outside Charles Street Market to announce a joint letter signed by over 50 advocacy, faith-based and student organizations addressed to the Governor Wes Moore, Attorney General Anthony Brown and the Maryland legislature.
The letter demands that Governor Moore and Attorney General Brown take action to prohibit universities from sharing private student data or information with federal agencies, without a valid warrant signed by a judge. The letter underscored the presence of federal immigration enforcement on college campuses and called on legislators to ensure that universities are following the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to safeguard student records, specifically related to non-citizen students.
“The federal government’s attempts to unconstitutionally pressure universities into repressing free speech and assisting with immigration enforcement not only intrude upon the autonomy of these institutions but also threaten the very essence of learning,“ the letter stated. “We cannot allow external pressures to silence the diverse voices that enrich our academic communities.”
Many community members spoke during the conference in support of the demands in the letter, including speakers from HJC, CAIR, Jewish Voice for Peace Baltimore, CASA de Baltimore and Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS). A local imam and rabbi, a Hopkins medical student and a Hopkins faculty member spoke as well.
The conference opened with a brief description of the demands outlined in the letter, and a reference to the recent memo sent to Johns Hopkins faculty by the University’s administration, which instructed staff not to intervene if federal agents take action on campus.
In an interview with The News-Letter, a student member of HJC argued that the memo sent by the University demonstrated the lack of action taken by Hopkins to protect students.
“We first want to mention that the ICE memo that was sent to faculty to tell them not to intervene and also not to notify any person that may be detained of ICE’s presence is extremely concerning and it is just another damning evidence that Hopkins does not want to protect us,“ she stated.
Zainab Chaudary, the Director of CAIR’s Office in Maryland stated that the memo had contributed to the press conference being held at Hopkins.
“We decided to hold this news conference outside Johns Hopkins, because this university has instructed its faculty to not intervene if students are abducted by ICE...,“ she said. “This is outrageous. It is unethical and it is a betrayal of the trust that is placed within these institutions by students who pay tuition and choose to enroll here.”
In a statement to WMAR-2 News, a university spokesperson stated, "The federal government has stated it intends to enforce criminal laws regarding interference with federal officials, which can include felony charges, and we want affiliates to avoid the potential risk of individual federal criminal prosecution."
In an interview with The News-Letter, LBS speaker, Lawrence Grandpre, stated that he was not surprised to see what he perceived as Hopkins not challenging the Trump administration’s use of ICE to “chill free speech,“ given the University’s connection to the military industrial complex and the Johns Hopkins Police Force. He argued that active and robust debate on campus are important to avoid damaging ideologies, and that the threat of deportations is critically hindering these discussions.
“The same political ideologies of control, of fear and domination, that are impacting people overseas are impacting us here in Baltimore...,“ he said. “Being able to have open conversations and people not be afraid of being deported is the right thing. It’s essential because it determines what political ideologies and what political concepts get power in our society, and that is going to impact us all.”
In an interview with The News-Letter, the student from HJC described that the organization participated in the press conference to communicate with the university, as they did not receive a response from an email they sent demanding the University establish a sanctuary campus. A sanctuary campus protects undocumented or non-citizen students by limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies and avoiding disclosure of student data.
The student continued by highlighting the loss of funding at some universities targeted by the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which will also visit Hopkins.
“It is just a way for them to conflate antisemitism and shut down pro Palestinian voices. The fact that there is a federal government presence that may be on campus is alarming and that is why we are demanding for a sanctuary campus,” she said.
Multiple speakers also pointed to the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was wrongly deported to a prison in El Salvador. The White House referred to the deportation as an “administrative error,“ but Abrego Garcia has not yet returned to the U.S. One speaker from Jewish Voice for Peace Baltimore argued that Abrego Garcia’s case underscores that the Trump administration is disregarding the law and that deportments are not isolated to those involved in the Palestine movement.
In an interview with The News-Letter, Chaudary reflected on what CAIR aimed to accomplish with the letter and press conference.
“This issue is not going to go away anytime soon, so we are hoping with this initial first round that we can impart the urgency of having Governor Moore take constructive action to help protect students,“ she said. “...There is so much at risk, and everyone here who spoke recognizes that our privilege means that we have a responsibility to speak up.”
