With President Donald Trump’s return to office, several executive orders were put into action, many of which aim to crack down on illegal immigration.
Over the past months, a myriad of raids were enacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE) nationwide. Operations began in Chicago, just a few days after Trump reentered office. There have even been sightings of ICE officials in Bethlehem as well, leading Bethlehem residents to have concerns about ICE raids.
The nature of the raids have led to public outcry. ICE agents execute the raids at workplaces, hospitals, and even schools as part of their investigations and the executive orders. Officers often arrive unannounced, en masse, and without a warrant.
There have even been reports of ICE officers coming to college campuses. According to WFMZ, Muhlenberg College had one student detained by ICE, despite being an American citizen.
Agents rely on administrative orders instead of judicial warrants, making their presence even more complicated. Some argue that ICE violates constitutional protections against unlawful searches and seizures.
While it has led to the discovery of illegal immigrants, the raids have also resulted in the detainment of legal U.S. citizens. There are rising concerns over the ethics of holding immigrants at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, a prison, before deportation.
Students at Moravian are concerned as well, Khadijah Abbas ’27 among them.“I think that the ICE raids that have been going on across the United States have been affecting millions of families and their loved ones, which I find to be highly disturbing,” he said.
These worries are to such an extent that the office of the President has released statements via email to the Moravian community addressing concerns about ICE raids and the recent dismantling of DEI initiatives.
Despite the executive orders, people in this country are banding together to do something about this, near and far.
For example, the nonprofit group, Welcoming America recently assisted Allentown’s City Council in passing the “Welcoming City” bill, enabling undocumented citizens currently living in Allentown to peacefully exist without fear of themselves or their family members being deported – so long as they aren’t committing any crimes. News outlets such as CBS have also reported about several protests erupting across the nation. In LA alone, thousands of people have been fighting against the recent political decisions.
Bethlehem is facing its own debate about whether it will consider itself a welcoming city.
Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott has reassured the public that local law enforcement does not enforce federal immigration laws or share residents’ immigration statuses with federal agencies. Alongside her, Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds has argued that Bethlehem’s existing policies already support immigrant communities and that additional legislation may be unnecessary.
Easton Councilwoman Taiba Sultana recently introduced legislation to codify immigration protections and align the city with Welcoming America’s standards. Despite a mix of hesitancy and discomfort, Bethlehem residents and advocacy groups remain determined to press forward, urging the city council to take action.
If you’re curious about what you can do to keep yourself or others safe, there are still a couple of precautions that can be taken. If a government agency visits Moravian University, you have a right to remain silent per the Fifth Amendment, or to ask the agents for a warrant to verify their identity.
Additionally, the university says to direct any ICE agents to campus police as per the email that Dean Hunt sent out a few weeks ago, Campus Police located at 119 W. Greenwich Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018, or call the precinct at 610-861-1421.
