By Sophia Harris Editor-in-Chief President Donald Trump has signed a slew of executive orders related to the border, immigration, and citizenship since his inauguration on January 20. Incoming "border czar" Tom Homan has already authorized large-scale raids targeting undocumented immigrants. Homan, who is a former acting head of ICE, stated immigration agents will first focus on the "worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they're in the country illegally, they got a problem," according to NPR. Ann McDonald, FSU’s chief of staff and general counsel, said many of the University policies that were in place before the executive orders will still protect students now. For example, student records will remain protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). “That gives students a significant level of privacy for the data and records that the University holds,” she said. McDonald said only a few circumstances override FERPA policies. “If a student was in crisis and somebody needed to know an address, we're able to give out those kinds of pieces of information.” Unless the University is issued a subpoena for a student's private information, the University is not required to divulge any information if it is requested, she added. In a statement by McDonald sent to faculty and staff, the recent rescinding of the protected areas policies that safeguarded people in places of worship, schools, and healthcare facilities opens the boundaries of campus that might otherwise have limited or restricted access to FSU community members while they are on campus. Recent guidance from the Commonwealth’s Office of the Attorney General details the difference between public and private campus access. Spaces such as the library and campus walkways are public, and people external to FSU have access to them. However, spaces such as an occupied classroom, a residence hall, or a private office have restricted access and that will continue despite these changes to federal immigration procedures. McDonald stated that the only police authorities permitted on campus without invitation are the University Police and the Commonwealth’s State Police Force. Under Commonwealth case law, officers may not hold an individual “solely on the basis of a Federal civil immigration detainer,” according to McDonald’s statement. In a statement from University Police, Chief Joseph Cecchi said, “Should you observe other law enforcement or immigration personnel or immigration officers on campus, a call to our University Police (508-626-4911) to report the activity and/or confirm their knowledge of the presence of these individuals would be the most advisable course of action.” McDonald said if an officer or someone who is “wearing a uniform, has a badge and presenting papers” is asking to speak with a student or for a student’s location, faculty and staff members are not required by the University to provide that information and should point them to University Police and the General Counsel. “That's our procedure pre-executive order, and that's also a procedure post-executive order,” she said. Dean of Students Meg Nowak Borrego said, “We are working with Residence Life to assure that our student security desk attendants are familiar with how to respond should someone come into that space because those are private residential spaces.” Jeffrey Coleman, vice president for diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said he and Jerome Burke, director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, are developing more programming to help students better understand constitutional law. Nowak Borrego said at FSU, “We value the population that is impacted by this executive order, and want them to be active members of our community who feel safe, respected, and cared for.” President Nancy Niemi said, “They are our students - everybody is. Nobody is lesser than others. Nobody is somehow less desirable as a student. They are all ours.” Professor and Pre-Law Advisor Thomas Severo said regarding the extent to which the President’s executive orders and actions on immigration hold up in court, “I wouldn't jump to saying there's no chance any of it ever holds up in court, but I will say that as a practical matter, it could prove exceptionally difficult to even track down many of the people he's proposing be deported. I think logistical and financial hurdles will be the bigger barriers here.” State Representative Priscila Sousa D-Sixth Middlesex said Trump’s specific executive orders are very personal to her because she “knows how it feels to be hunted down” because she was “outside of status” for nine years. She said she wants students to know they have more allies than they think who are committed to the immigrant community. Sousa said this situation affects all immigrants. “Even if you are documented,” you will be affected, she said. She commended college presidents in Massachusetts for being “extremely proactive in making campus safer spaces” for all students. She said the Trump administration uses fear as a weapon. “They are keeping us scared and if we are scared, we do not think rationally,” Sousa said. She urged students to try not to panic. She added her office is always open if students want to know more about the resources available to them. Her office phone number is (617) 722-2460. [ Editor’s Note: The Gatepost has decided to keep the names of students in this article anonymous to protect their safety. ] A junior student said that because of Trump’s executive orders, her cousin was deported from Boston to Barbados while she was at work. “She did not have a criminal background. She's just a normal person, and they caught her at work,” the student said. She said that Framingham State has been very supportive of her and her family’s situation. A sophomore student said she is lucky her parents gained citizenship in 2014 but understands that that is not the case for a lot of people. “People are losing their family, their friends,” she said. “I don't even have the right words to say,” she added. A sophomore student said the recent passage of the executive orders makes her “really upset” because she comes from a Mexican background. “I do not support this at all,” she added. A sophomore student said Trump's crackdown on immigration has been “very disheartening to see but not surprising.” He said, “It's very concerning to see that it's not necessarily about your documentation or status.” He added a large number of undocumented immigrants “are working jobs, paying taxes, and they are a big portion of the workforce for jobs that not a lot of Americans want to do. “Humanity needs to be applied. You shouldn't be taking these people away from their families because their children could have been born here,” he said. A senior student said regarding the change of what constitutes a public or private space, “I think those are places that people hold sacred, and if they're not able to go to school, or places of worship, people will be scared and isolated.” She added, “I believe that especially in America, we're such a big melting pot and if we take away the right of immigration, then we take away the history of America. We should make it easier and not harder for immigrants.” Another student said she and her family were “devastated” by the executive orders regarding immigration. She said she believes Trump’s second term will be more impactful on the Hispanic and immigrant communities. She added, “Some people might see this on the news and not really think too much about it, but for me, this is my life. Like, this is what I deal with.” She said her older sister and both of her parents have mixed immigration status. Her parents and sister came from Guatemala, seeking asylum from gang attacks. She said her grandfather was shot and killed by gang members and her father was shot eight times by gang members, but survived. That is when her family decided to come to the United States. Her father was the only source of income for her family but due to fear of deportation, he has not been able to go to work, meaning she has been going to school full-time while also working to provide for her family. “This has been very difficult for my family and other family members to still provide for our families. The fear of even simply going down the street, getting a little something that we might need - it is not possible.” She said her family members are law-abiding citizens and if an undocumented immigrant comes to the United States and commits a crime, she understands why they would be deported, but her family should not be subject to this mass deportation. “Most of the immigrants who come here just work just to send money back to their families,” she said. “My parents have never gone on a trip. They've never seen some parts of Boston, and they've lived here my whole life,” she said. She said that her father had been detained before by ICE. “I witnessed that when I was 5 years old. Thankfully, we're able to find a good lawyer, and he's in the process of fixing citizenship, but even still, we don't know what will happen. It is very difficult. “It has just become very hard to be human here and just live peacefully knowing so many people don't want us here.” Resources provided by Framingham State for students and faculty are Mass.gov Finding Legal Help, Student Immigrant Movement, United We Dream, Educational Resources for Immigrants, Refugees, Asylees and other New Americans U.S. Department of Education, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, National Immigration Law Center, and the Greater Boston Legal Services.