On Saturday, June 13, at approximately 8:15am, an Edmonds College student was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they got out of their car in the student parking lot near Snoqualmie Hall. Campus security was notified immediately and witness statements were taken.
The Edmonds College Federation of Teachers stands in unequivocal solidarity with our students, colleagues, and campus community members who are affected by this action and by the climate of fear it creates. Our campus must be a place where every person feels safe to teach, work, and pursue their education, regardless of immigration status, nationality, or background. Just this past Friday, our campus community came together to celebrate World Refugee Day, a reminder of the values we hold and the community we are committed to building.
We recognize that this moment is frightening, and that fear does not fall equally across our community. Knowing our rights and acting on them is one of the most powerful forms of solidarity available to us right now. The ECFT recommends that everyone review the resources regarding ICE provided at the link. This guidance reflects the official policy from Dr. Singh and additional context is provided by Lola Zakharova, a respected immigration attorney and union member.
We want to be clear about the issues regarding timely reporting of this incident to the campus community. The ICE arrest occurred on Saturday, June 13, at 8:15 am. The first official notification about the incident came from Dr. Singh on Monday, June 15, at 10:25 pm. This message was only sent to faculty and staff and not received by students. Students were notified about the incident by the VP of Students Services on Tuesday, June 16, at 12:55 pm. Another notice was sent by Dr. Singh to faculty and staff (not students) on Wednesday, June 17, at 2:52 pm. This was not a timely notification. Faculty and students did not receive any official reports about the incident until two days after the incident. Not sharing this information sooner caused rumors to spread and also prevented at-risk faculty, students, and staff from making important decisions about their safety.
BOT Meeting
On Tuesday, June 16, the Edmonds College Board of Trustees held their last meeting of the academic year. At that meeting, the campus community stood together and with one voice demanded that management notify the community in a timely fashion when these incidents occur and that resources be provided to the students, staff, and faculty affected by this incident. A witness to the incident shared their view of what happened during the public comment section of the meeting. The outgoing President of the Student Government, Tiffany Mphepo, spoke about the need for timely communication and support as well. Lia Andrews, Chief Shop Steward for the WPEA, spoke about the issue during her report. And finally, Scott Haddock, President of the ECFT, spoke on the issue during his report. The faculty union would like to thank all who spoke about this ICE arrest for sharing their experiences and concerns in this open forum. Dr. Singh responded to these comments during his speaking time. The transcribed text of his comments can be found at the link, but in summary, Dr. Singh renewed his commitment to safety and security on campus, discussed the decision process when issues like this arise, and committed to improving management’s communication with the campus community.
As of this writing, here are some of the actions taken by the union in response to this incident:
- Representatives of the union have reached out to the interim VP of Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness for clarification on why a Triton Alert regarding this issue was not issued and what processes should be followed when ICE agents arrive in public spaces on campus.
- Union representatives have met with VP for Human Resources, Suzanne Moreau, and VP for Instruction, Kim Chapman, to discuss the issue and agreed to create an ad hoc task force to ensure that faculty voices are considered when addressing questions of contract enforcement and working conditions in relation to ICE activity on campus.
We will continue to update the faculty as we learn more. If you want to support the family of the abducted individual during this crisis, please refer to the flyer posted at the bottom of this page.
