A coalition of more than 50 Maryland organizations called for increased data protections for students on college campuses in a letter sent to state leadership this week.
The Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations spearheaded the letter, which was sent to Gov. Wes Moore, Attorney General Anthony Brown and lawmakers in the Maryland General Assembly. The letter encourages leaders to take immediate legislative and executive action against federal attempts to use personal data and information to detain students.
“We ask you to act swiftly and decisively to prevent our institutions of learning from becoming instruments of discrimination,” the coalition’s letter read. “Maryland must ensure that all students, regardless of their background, can pursue their education without fear of targeting or retribution.”
The letter called on the General Assembly to pass emergency legislation and on Moore to introduce an executive order to protect students’ data from federal agents.
The letter also demands that the state implements educational initiatives to inform administrations, faculty and students of their rights when it comes to privacy and immigration enforcement.
Signatories of the letter include dozens of religious organizations and CASA — a grassroots immigrant advocacy organization.
Zainab Chaudry, CAIR’s Maryland director, told The Diamondback the letter was an opportunity for different voices to show strength and solidarity.
[UMD community members demand university protects international students at office protest]
“We are not talking about just immigrants, just Muslims, just Arabs, just Palestinians, just Latino groups,” Chaudry said. “This issue is impacting all students across the racial and religious spectrum.”
In recent weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained several college students across the country who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests or criticized Israel’s military actions, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. President Donald Trump and ICE officials have cited invalid visas as the reason behind the arrests, according to the outlet.
Pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses have increased after Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to the Associated Press. Israel declared war on Hamas the next day and its military forces have since killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Chaudry said the coalition’s letter aims to push lawmakers to amend proposed bills in the state’s legislative session to prohibit federal immigration officials from accessing certain spaces, including colleges and universities.
One of the bills supported by CAIR and the coalitions is the Maryland Data Privacy Act, which would prevent federal immigration agents from accessing resident’s information and data without a warrant.
If passed, the bill would help protect students on college campuses because universities would have to get a warrant before providing student information to immigration officials, Maryland Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard), the bill’s sponsor, told The Diamondback.
“Given some of the cases that we’re hearing, we’re concerned that ICE might be compelling colleges and universities to turn over information about where students are located, making it easier for them to be able to find them and then sweep them up and detain them,” Lam said.
Brown, Maryland’s attorney general, wrote in a statement to The Diamondback that the attorney general office has provided guidance to educational institutions about protecting student information.
“I am committed to protecting the privacy rights of all Marylanders, including our students,” the statement read.
The coalition’s letter comes several weeks after the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent University of Maryland president Darryll Pines a letter that urges this university to provide information about Chinese national students and faculty involvement in research on campus.
[UMD administration details response to federal inquiry about Chinese students, faculty]
“It is our understanding that the request for information is not seeking personally identifiable information,” this university wrote in a statement Thursday. “We therefore intend to respond accordingly, and otherwise consistent with federal and state privacy laws.”
After the release of the letter, the coalition hosted a press conference Wednesday featuring representatives from local religious institutions and students.
Talib Abdul-Samad, a community faith leader, spoke at the press conference about the importance of standing up for students who are being punished for speaking up against oppression.
“We stand at a dangerous crossroads in this country,” Abdul-Samad said during the press conference. “The very principles that make America great, the right to free speech, the right to protest, the right to challenge injustice are all under attack.”
Several Johns Hopkins University students also spoke at the press conference and called on universities to take more accountability and intervene against ICE arrests.
Chaudry said it’s important for college students to continue educating themselves on current events and speak with their administrators and their elected officials.
“Every elected official should be demanded that they vocally and publicly condemn … what’s happening on our campuses,” Chaudry told The Diamondback.
The University System of Maryland deferred to the state attorney general office for comment.
