This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

On Feb. 4, Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (Tally SDS) and the Young Democratic Socialist Association (YDSA) at FSU shared an Instagram post detailing the FSU Police Department’s (FSUPD) signing of a 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since then, students across campus have petitioned against and protested this agreement.

What is ICE’s 287(g) Program?

287(g) refers to a section in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), added by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This section authorizes ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement.

The 287(g) operates under four models. The first, the Jail Enforcement Method, is “designed to identify and process removable aliens” that’ve been arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies. Both the second and third, titled the Task Force Model and Tribal Task Force Model, respectively, act as “force multipliers” for law enforcement agencies to enforce, with ICE oversight, limited immigration authority.

The final, titled the Warrant Service Officer program, authorizes ICE to train, certify, and authorize state and local law enforcement to serve administrative warrants. These differ from judicial warrants, signed by a judge or magistrate, which allow searches and entry into private spaces.

Administrative warrants are issued by federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, and don’t authorize a search. They might, however, authorize seizure or arrest. The National Immigration Law Center warns that administrative warrants are being increasingly used as intimidation tactics.

How is FSU Involved?

Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) that sign a 287(g) agreement with ICE are listed as participating or pending agencies, depending on the completion status of their Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). These MOAs are made available on the ICE website.

LEAs interested in entering an agreement must submit a signed Letter of Interest and a signed MOA to an ICE email address listed on their website, though their website notes that the MOA process is currently “offline for revisions.”

LEAs that do enter into an agreement with ICE will nominate specific officers to participate in the 287(g) Program. These nominees are then given training “at the expense of ICE” that’s related to the “immigration duties pertinent to the applicable MOA.”

The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) is listed as a participating agency as of March 10, 2025. Chief of Police Lawrence E. Revell signed the MOA on March 6, 2025, and acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons then signed the agreement into action.

Tallahassee State College (TSC) is listed as a participating agency, with TSC Chief of Police Sean McGovern signing the MOA on April 3, 2025, and Lyons signing the agreement into action on April 15, 2025.

Both TSC and TPD are listed as agreeing to the Task Force Model of 287(g). Two days following TSC’s MOA approval, on April 17, 2025, FSU Police Department’s Chief of Police, Jason Trumbower, signed a Task Force Model MOA. This was just before the shooting that took place on campus, with the MOA being signed at 11:07 a.m.

This MOA isn’t available on government websites, as FSUPD isn’t currently listed under participating or pending. Instead, this MOA was acquired by Tally SDS and YDSA through an FSUPD public records request.

The Student Body’s Response

Organizations across campus have been protesting FSU’s involvement with ICE. On Jan. 30, YSDA marched to deliver their sanctuary campus petition to FSU administrators. The petition, signed by over 1,000 students, was unable to be delivered to President McCollough.

In a joint statement, Tally SDS and YDSA wrote, “FSU has enjoyed the financial contributions and academic labor of our immigrant and international students for almost the entirety of its enlistment as a university, and they repay their students by inviting a terrorist organization on campus.”

Currently, there’s no public record of ICE signing the finalizing portion of the MOA. “It’s not signed by ICE, though? It’s good to protest, but what is there to protest? It’s unfinished, and ICE isn’t partnered with FSUPD,” wrote one commenter. FSUPD isn’t currently listed as a pending or participating agency.

Others argue that the signing of this agreement, despite its incompletion, is reason enough. “FSU’s voluntary compliance means ICE can execute the agreement at will and terrorize our peers,” wrote another commenter.

“In working with ICE, they [Richard McCullough and Jason Trumobwer] are not only condoning ICE terror, but are actively complicit in it,” wrote Tally SDS and YDSA.

On Feb. 5, protesters marched from the Integration Statue to FSUPD at Tanner Hall. “Many students showed up to demonstrate their disapproval of the agreement, and FSUPD continued to ignore our voices.”

After thanking those who attended the protest, they then continued, “We will not stop speaking on this until FSU revokes their signature.”

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