By Patrick Dobyns, Editor
Seven weeks ago, Imaginary Gardens released a story describing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the Hardin Valley area. In it, we discussed what Pellissippi State Community College’s campus security could and would do if ICE officers entered campus, the rights of students and faculty in case of an ICE search, and resources that students can use to report ICE activity. We also posted an encrypted survey, which asked a few questions about readers’ opinion of ICE on campus. The data has been analyzed, and the results offer a look at campus concerns regarding ICE activity.
First of all, it is important to note that we provided anonymity for all comments. We also provided an option for people who did not want their comments posted in Imaginary Gardens, so all comments posted here are published with the consent of those who voiced them. The only form of identification provided was whether respondents were students, faculty, or staff.
To start off the analysis, we’ll look at the simplest data point; were respondents in favor of ICE on campus or against ICE on campus? The vast majority were against. Out of 50 people, 46 stated that they were against the presence of ICE on Pellissippi State Campus.
Against ICE
We’ll start off looking at those who said they’d prefer ICE remain off-campus. Among some of these comments was one student who told us that,
“As a citizen, I don’t feel comfortable with it. I believe it would promote anxiety, hostility, and be possibly unsafe [or] violence-inducing to have on campus.”
Another student writes,
“I hate the idea of this being possible. ICE does not belong in schools where students are trying to make a life for themselves. Paying students should NOT have to live in fear of being taken from their classes or campus.”
As we mentioned in our article, “What Happens if ICE Comes to Pellissippi,” , the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution is supposed to protect citizens from unreasonable searches or seizures. f a citizen believes that they are being unfairly searched, legal experts suggest that they state “I don’t consent to this search,” especially if anyone is a witness and documenting it.
It should be mentioned that students were not the only ones opposed to ICE coming onto campus. Staff and faculty also had the opportunity to respond to the survey, and those who did provided some clear and articulate comments. When asked what their response to seeing ICE on campus would be, one faculty member wrote, “I would probably cancel my class to protect my students.” Additionally, they stated that if ICE became a frequent nuisance, “I would consider changing [the] modality of the course to online to help students avoid dangerous situations the presence of ICE might cause.”
For ICE
Those who said they would be okay with ICE agents on campus were in the minority by a wide margin, but their voices are no less important.
One student answered by saying they felt “great” about the possibility and that they would “thank [ICE agents] for their service.”
A faculty member used the argument that Pellissippi State represents the entire community of East Tennessee. This person believes that the community “overwhelmingly supports law enforcement.” The most vocal of the respondents was one faculty member who wrote,
“I find more comfort than concern when law enforcement are present. Recent conversations, including articles published in Imaginary Gardens, are frankly propaganda, designed to increase hysteria rather than inform. ICE agents are given authority based on law (various laws over time, passed by Congress, signed by Presidents), and our nation has laws regulating immigration, whether we like it or not. Complaining about the government enforcing existing law is not noble, it’s simple rebellion.”
It should be noted that Imaginary Gardens is written by and for students, not by or for any political organization. All opinions posted are genuinely our own, and all facts written are verified by our editorial team.
The Numbers
Out of seven non-students who responded to our survey, three of them said they were pro-ICE. While this may make it seem like staff or faculty are more likely to support ICE on campus than students are, seven responses of 587 staff and faculty are not a statistically viable data set.
There is a statistical method for determining the margin of error from a sample size with a given degree of certainty. Using this formula, we can be 95 percent sure from these results that the true number of staff who support ICE is somewhere between 6 percent and 79.7 percent. No statistician would base any meaningful conclusion on numbers with such a wide margin of error. With that same level of certainty, though, we can estimate that at the absolute highest, only 17.2 percent of students feel the same. There is still a wide margin of error, but it is not nearly as bad as that of non-students.
From the results we collected, we drew the conclusion that there is a lot of anxiety about the idea that ICE might interrupt life on campus.
Although there was anger in a few comments, there was a lot more fear. There is fear of disruption to the academic environment Pellissippi is trying to foster, fear of violence due to their actions across the country, and fear from those who are most vulnerable to deportation.
“As a transgender immigrant, my only option is to flee,” writes one student.
We can see from this data that even if nothing happens, even if ICE does nothing except walk in and walk out, the environment on campus will likely be drastically altered with an air of uncertainty and insecurity.
Editor’s note: Imaginary Gardens is a student journal supported by Pellissippi State Community College. All work is written and edited by Pellissippi State students. All articles aim to uphold journalistic standards to present accurate information and represent all voices of Pellissippi State.
