Law Schools

Law School Kicks ICE Off Campus Bowing To Student Pressure, Common Decency

Students were concerned that ICE's presence was intimidating to some classmates.

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Law student activists are having a nice run. Fresh off the news that Harvard Law students were successful in getting Biglaw giant Kirkland & Ellis to reverse course on mandatory arbitration agreements comes word that another group of student activists has notched a victory in removing ICE from campus.

Seattle University School of Law has decided to suspend an externship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which also means the federal agency will not be allowed to participate in the school’s on-campus extern fairs. The move came after students complained about the school’s relationship with ICE. Led by 3L Alex Romero, 470 students signed a petition demanding the program end, arguing ICE’s ability to participate in on-campus events was in contradiction with the school’s mission of “empowering leaders for a just and humane world” and could be intimidating to undocumented students.

In announcing the school’s decision to part ways with the ICE externships, Dean Annette Clark noted:

“As educators, lawyers, and soon-to-be-lawyers, we hold particular power and bear a special responsibility to be peacemakers and to assist those who are suffering due to the unjust operation of our legal system, laws, and their enforcement.”

Also of note, the activists’ victory doesn’t appear to run afoul of many classmates’ career ambitions: for the last several years no student from Seattle University has opted to participate in the program.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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