Rutgers Law School Center Hosted Seminars on Avoiding ICE

The Rutgers Law School Center on Security, Race and Rights hosted seminars recently that advised Palestinian and Muslim students on how to avoid federal immigration authorities and deportation from the United States.

According to The Washington Free Beacon, the center hosted the "Know Your Rights" seminars on April 28 and May 7 in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on international students involved in anti-Israel demonstrations.

The center reportedly is under congressional investigation for what lawmakers say is its record "of virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism."

The Free Beacon reported that the seminars focused on "digital hygiene" steps students can take to make accessing their electronic devices more difficult.

At the April 28 event, speaker Golnaz Fakhimi urged students "not to have face ID or thumbprint ID turned on" and to "set passcodes that are long and strong" for their smartphones to keep federal agents from being able to access them.

Fakhimi also warned students that authorities at airports and border checkpoints have forensic tools that enable them to access "content that is deleted from a device."   

Raquel Aldana of the University of California-Davis hosted the May 7 seminar, telling attendees that universities "shouldn't be collaborating with ICE" by providing the agency with information on international students and faculty members. Schools should also "clearly define what is a private space within universities," Aldana said, so students can avoid interactions with ICE agents.

Rutgers University, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, receives about $400 million in federal funds each year, but the "Know Your Rights" events could jeopardize the public institution's government funding award.

Last month, House Homeland Security Committee Republicans launched an investigation into the Chinese-American Planning Council over the nonprofit's guidance on evading ICE and the Trump administration froze $2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University for its failure to curb antisemitism on campus.

While Rutgers has yet to be targeted by the federal government, it is on the list of schools currently being investigated by the Department of Education for antisemitism.

The Center on Security, Race and Rights operates under Rutgers Law School, where its leader, Palestinian-American activist Sahar Aziz, reportedly teaches courses on "Islamophobia," critical race theory, and national security. Half of its funding comes from the Rutgers University chancellor's budget, with the other half coming from the Rutgers University Foundation, according to the Free Beacon.

The Free Beacon reported that many of the center's faculty advisers have endorsed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, calling the incursion an "armed resistance," "astounding" and "innovative," while describing Hamas fighters as "martyrs."

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