UM Office of Legal Counsel and Compliance Guidance on Potential Interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Protection Agents
Recently the University has received questions about protocols with respect to the possibility that ICE agents may come to campus. This is a reminder of how to interact with any federal, state or local law enforcement agency representative on campus.
Employees should be respectful of law enforcement agents and let them know that they must immediately contact university police and legal counsel for guidance. All warrants or subpoenas must be reviewed by legal counsel prior to execution. Employees may not provide any information about employees or students to anybody, including law enforcement, without express written permission by UM Legal Counsel.
While ICE or other law enforcement and immigration agents do not need permission to enter public areas of campuses, consultation with university police and legal counsel will help ensure safety and minimize disruptions to campus operations.
Below is a list of colleagues who can serve as resources if there are questions or concerns:
- Dave Kuntz, (dave.kuntz@umontana.edu) serves as the University's spokesperson and handles official communications.
- Lucy France, Legal Counsel (lucy.france@umontana.edu) and Jay Stephens, Vice President for People and Culture (jay.stephens@umontana.edu) can provide additional guidance or resources.
- Bonnie Tucker in Human Resource Services (bonnie.tucker@umontana.edu) is the point person at UM for H1B visa holders, departments and our contracted immigration law firm BAL to ensure UM is compliant with immigration regulations. Bonnie serves colleagues across the UM affiliation.
- Employees who are University-sponsored visa holders may also contact our BAL attorneys directly: Claudia Villaseñor Sanchez (cvillasenor@bal.com) and Amanda Oswald (amoswald@bal.com.)
- Bodhi Murphy (bodhi.murphy@umontana.edu) in International Students and Scholars is the point person for F1 and J1 visa holders at UM-Missoula.