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On February 14, 2025, Beaufort County Community College (BCCC) distributed to faculty, staff, students, the Board of Trustees, and the BCCC Foundation Board its procedure for managing potential visits from officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). This neutral procedure, which the College drafted after consultation with an immigration law attorney, complies with current federal law—both civil and constitutional—and in no way attempts to circumvent the rights of ICE or their representatives from visiting BCCC and carrying out their legal duties. The procedures outline the legal and constitutional rights of all students, faculty, staff, trustees, and foundation board members. As always, Beaufort County Community College will continue to comply with all federal, state, and local laws.

The procedure reads: 

This procedure delineates the procedure that Beaufort County Community College will follow if a representative from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) or a legally approved representative from ICE (e.g., North Carolina sheriff’s deputy) visits the Washington, North Carolina, campus, the Engelhard Center, the Roper Center, the BCCC Barber Academy, the Aviation Workforce Training Center as well as any other site where the college is conducting either instructional or co-curricular functions related to the mission of the College. For purposes of this procedure, all classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and administrative offices are private spaces and may not be visited by ICE agents or their representatives.  

 

1. The College administration assumes that any ICE agent or legal representative for ICE who visits the BCCC campus or other site where the College is conducting instructional or co-curricular business does so with the intention of finding or searching for undocumented immigrants.
2. Should any ICE agent or legal representative for ICE approach or speak to a student, faculty-member, staff-member, member of the Board of Trustees, member of the Foundation Board of Directors, or member of the general public at the College campus or at one of BCCC’s sites, the individual should calmly explain that he/she must contact the College’s Point of Contact for all campus or site-based ICE interactions before speaking to the ICE agent or representative.
3. The first point-of-contact (POC) for purposes of this procedure is the president of Beaufort County Community College. Should the president not be available, the second point-of-contact will be the vice-president for Administration and Finance. Should the second point-of-contact not be available, the third point-of-contract will be the BCCC chief of police.
4. The POC will immediately proceed to where the ICE agent or representative is located on campus or at any other location where the College is conducting official business and ask the ICE agent or representative to provide his/her name and badge number. The POC should record all interactions with the agent or representative.
5. No ICE agent or legal representative for ICE will be allowed to talk with any individual on campus or at a College site without an official, legal warrant signed by a Federal judge or magistrate. No other signature or document will suffice in this regard. All warrants must be specific to the person and place covered by the order.
6. If the ICE agent or legal representative for ICE presents an official, legal warrant signed by a Federal judge or magistrate, the POC will retrieve the individual on the warrant and bring the individual back to the agent unless the ICE agent or legal representative for ICE provides a compelling argument to the POC that the person identified in the warrant my present a danger to him/herself or others. Otherwise, the College will not allow an ICE agent or legal representative for ICE to retrieve an individual.
7. The College will not provide sensitive information covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to any ICE agent or legal representative for ICE, unless such information is allowed by the individual student through wet signature of the FERPA waiver form. The College will provide directory information to ICE or its legal representative, unless the student prohibits such distribution.
8. ICE agents and their legal representatives retain the right to visit any campus or other BCCC-affiliated space designated as a public site.
9. Each individual on the BCCC campus or at an instructional or co-curricular site who is approached by ICE or its legal representative retains his/her 5th Amendment right to remain silent and may not be compelled to speak. In such situations, individuals may request the ICE agent or legal representative for ICE to present a court order signed by a Federal judge or magistrate, but should not otherwise engage orally or in writing with the agent.