Hopkins Justice Initiative (HJC) released a statement on March 27, demanding a meeting with the University administration to negotiate a sanctuary campus to protect noncitizen students.
In their statement, HJC called for the University to prohibit all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities on the Hopkins campus, sever partnerships with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and refuse compliance with the federal government’s efforts to surveil, monitor or deport students.
They wrote, “Until Hopkins explicitly commits to establishing a sanctuary campus, Johns Hopkins is issuing an open invitation to the DOJ and ICE on its campuses, putting the potential loss of funding over the safety of its own students, workers, and community.”
This statement was released in the context of several detainments of noncitizen students on university campuses across the nation.
Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate of Columbia University, was arrested on March 8 by ICE in his apartment in Manhattan and sent to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana. Born in Syria to Palestinian refugees, Khalil entered the U.S. in 2022 on a student visa and became a green card holder upon his marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Khalil acted as a negotiator between student activists and university officials during pro-Palestinian student protests at Columbia University in 2024. He now faces the potential revocation of his green card and deportation.
Another legal permanent resident, Yunseo Chung, also faces deportation. Yunseo Chung is a South Korean citizen who has lived in the U.S. since she was 7. She is a student at Columbia University and participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the school. ICE has searched residences on the Columbia campus with warrants, looking for Chung. According to Chung’s lawyer, the federal government is trying to revoke her status.
More recently, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Ph.D. student at Tufts University, was detained on March 25 by masked, plainclothes agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security outside an off-campus residence. Ozturk is a Turkish citizen who entered the U.S. via a valid student visa, which has now been revoked. She co-authored an opinion piece that appeared in the Tufts student newspaper last March.
In a fact sheet published by the White House on Jan. 30, 2025, President Donald J. Trump promised to revoke noncitizen, pro-Palestinian student activists’ visas and deport relevant noncitizen residents.
On Jan. 27, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown released guidance for state and local law enforcement, outlining the role of state and local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement.
“Maryland law ensures police handle immigration enforcement in a way that builds trust with immigrant communities, helping them feel safe to report and prevent crime. The federal government cannot compel state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws,” said Brown. “This guidance ensures that law enforcement agencies understand the scope and limitations of their authority and makes clear that the rule of law does not change depending on the federal government’s priorities.”
A University spokesperson commented on the concerns of international students at Hopkins regarding the ongoing immigration enforcement activities.
“We share the very serious concerns arising from recent detentions of international students and scholars across the country and understand the fear this instills in our own affiliates and their families both here and abroad when it appears as though individuals are not receiving full due process under the law, a basic tenet of the American legal system,” the spokesperson wrote.
According to the spokesperson, some measures the University has taken to support international affiliates of Hopkins include the guidance on federal immigration enforcement posted online in February; legal and support services provided by the Office of International Services (OIS) on a 24/7 schedule; and regular updates on travel and federal policies, which are available on the OIS website.
The University spokesperson encouraged international students who seek immigration, visa and travel guidance to reach out directly to the OIS, which provides advice specific to the student or affiliate by email, phone and video, as well as around-the-clock services via the iHopkins self-service portal and emergency phone support.
The spokesperson also commented on whether the University provides information to immigration authorities.
“The University does not provide information about the immigration status of members of our community unless required by law, and Johns Hopkins safety, security, and police officers do not request information regarding citizenship. If federal immigration officials present a valid warrant or specific court order, the University will comply with such orders,” they wrote.
The spokesperson emphasizes that students should immediately contact the Office of Public Safety if they encounter immigration enforcement officers on campus, and that Public Safety will work with the Office of General Counsel to ensure legal processes are followed.
“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,” they wrote.
The spokesperson noted that, although the University does not represent individual students in legal matters, it does provide information about how to obtain legal services and has helped make connections between qualified attorneys and students seeking counsel in the past.
On April 2, HJC issued another statement criticizing the guidance on federal immigration enforcement mentioned by the spokesperson.
The guidance advised Hopkins faculty and students to comply with federal activities, as obstructing or interfering with certain government activities can be a crime.
“Remain calm. Immediately contact the appropriate legal or public safety office... Do not attempt to obstruct the officers’ activities or block their movement in any facility. Do not attempt to notify any person who may be subject to federal immigration enforcement that federal law enforcement officers are present, or engage in any behavior in an effort to enable them to leave the premises or hide,” the guidance wrote.
HJC argues that this guidance reveals the University’s willingness to let federal law enforcement freely operate on campus. They requested a meeting with the University administration to make the Hopkins campus a sanctuary campus that prohibits immigration authority activities. They have not yet received a response from the administration. HJC stressed the urgency of the issue and called for the University to take action.
