More than 3,000 people have already signed a petition.
Published: Feb. 23, 2026, 6:30 a.m.As immigration enforcement activity increases near campus, students at Rutgers University are demanding “sanctuary campus” protections, putting them at odds with administrators bound by state law.
The push comes after students in the area have seen a growing presence of federal agents detaining individuals mere feet from the state university campus.near the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick earlier this month, according to surveillance video obtained by New Brunswick Today, a local news site. On Feb. 11, students of the university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America held a protest on the university’s New Brunswick campus while the Rutgers Board of Governors met in Camden. More than 25 people attended the protest, including one faculty member, according to organizers. The movement comes as students at other colleges in New Jersey and across the country ask for similar policies.New Jersey already has long had rules in place that limit how local police can get involved in federal immigration matters., established in 2018. The directive says police in New Jersey can’t help with civil immigration enforcement, including joining ICE raids or stopping people just because of their immigration status. But the directive also makes clear that police still have to follow federal law. And the policy still requires local law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials on criminal cases. At Rutgers, the university has its own police department that has the same powers as other local police in New Jersey. Because they’re considered local law enforcement, Rutgers police must follow the Immigrant Trust Directive just like any other police agency in the state, campus officials said.Executive Order No. 12 bars ICE agents from entering or using nonpublic areas of state‑run facilities, including residential medical centers, child care sites, and government offices, unless they present a judicial warrant.More than 3,000 people signed the petition, which also demands Rutgers officials refuse to enforce anti-transgender policies, protect free speech rights and preserve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs. “With the second election of Donald Trump, the right-wing attacks on the working class, marginalized people, and higher education have only escalated,” the petition said. The movement is being led by the Rutgers Young Democratic Socialists of America, among other student advocacy groups. “We view ICE’s operating procedures as fundamentally illegal, and that they act less like a law enforcement agency and more like a partisan paramilitary group,” said Rutgers Young Democratic Socialists of America member Holden Saluti. The petition also urges university staff to work with local municipalities, including city councils, to decline participation in any Trump administration policies that advocates say target immigrant, transgender or other marginalized communities.Rutgers’ priority is ensuring that any enforcement activity follows due process, which includes requiring a judicial warrant to access protected records or non-public areas, the spokesperson said. They added that terms like “sanctuary campus,” “sanctuary state” and “sanctuary city” are informal and have no official legal meaning. If federal immigration authorities appear on Rutgers property, community members are advised to notify the university police department immediately. Students at other institutions in New Jersey have been mobilizing against the presence of federal immigration authorities on or near their campuses.how their school engages with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials appeared at a business school event., students said the proximity of immigration officials to campus signals a climate of surveillance that does not belong in higher education., are calling on university officers to push back against federal agents who may try to detain undocumented individuals without a judicial warrant.Professors and education professionals at previously declared “sanctuary” schools say universities that support immigrants are likely exposing themselves to risk, Inside Higher Ed reports.University staff at Rutgers are also pushing for the campus to increase protections for undocumented individuals. The Union of Rutgers Administrators-American Federation of Teachers called on the university’s administration to “use every legal avenue to refuse to collaborate with ICE and its agents,” according to a The union’s announcement, published on Jan. 13, demanded Rutgers officials to “designate non-public zones of safety” on campus for students, staff and faculty to access during potential ICE raids. Members of the union also urged the university’s management to protect information about faculty and staff by reaffirming the school’s commitment to educational rights and privacy laws.Victoria Gladstone is a news reporter who covers a variety of criminal justice issues for NJ.com. As an early career reporter, she won a First Year Journalist award for her portfolio by the New Jersey Press...
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