Sanctuary Evanston Trains Students on Responding to ICE

Northwestern student groups host session on documenting immigration enforcement and protecting community members.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 6:08am

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A cinematic painting of a group of students gathered in a dimly lit university hallway, their faces illuminated by warm, diagonal sunlight, conveying a sense of concern and determination as they discuss ways to protect their community from immigration enforcement.A somber meeting of Northwestern students to discuss strategies for responding to potential ICE activity on campus, reflecting the gravity of the situation.Evanston Today

Several Northwestern student organizations, including NU College Democrats and Bienestar, hosted a training session led by Sanctuary Evanston volunteers on how to respond if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents come to campus. The session covered strategies for documenting ICE activity, interacting with officers, and protecting vulnerable community members.

Why it matters

As immigration enforcement has increased in recent years, many universities have become sites of ICE activity, sparking concerns about students' and community members' rights. This training aims to empower the Northwestern community to respond effectively and safely to any ICE presence on campus.

The details

The training session, titled 'What should you do if ICE Comes to Northwestern?', provided practical guidance on topics like seeking out areas only accessible with a Wildcard, utilizing the SALUTE method to document ICE activity, and communicating with response teams. Sanctuary Evanston also introduced 'Purple Sanctuary', a new initiative tailored to the NU community, which distributed masks, informative zines, and whistles to attendees.

  • The training session took place on Tuesday, April 8, 2026 in Swift Hall at Northwestern University.

The players

Sanctuary Evanston

A local support network that led the training session and introduced the 'Purple Sanctuary' initiative for the Northwestern community.

NU College Democrats

One of the Northwestern student organizations that hosted the training session.

Bienestar

Another Northwestern student organization that hosted the training session.

Alex Nagy

A Weinberg senior who attended the training session to learn more about the legality of ICE activity on campus.

Inaya Hussain

A Weinberg senior and member of Purple Sanctuary who wanted more people to understand how to react to nearby ICE activity without panicking.

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What they’re saying

“Regardless of whether or not you support deportation of undocumented people, at the very least, you should be very, very animated about the fact that people's rights are being violated.”

— Alex Nagy, Weinberg senior

“It's really this ecosystem of support. It's to communicate with the people who are impacted, and people who are able to protect the community, who are not vulnerable to immigration enforcement.”

— Sanctuary Evanston volunteer

“I remember through the fall, people would message in big group chats, 'I saw ICE' or 'ICE was in Evanston,' but not actually provide thorough information. And that spread a lot of fear on campus.”

— Inaya Hussain, Weinberg senior and Purple Sanctuary member

What’s next

Sanctuary Evanston plans to continue offering training sessions and expanding the 'Purple Sanctuary' initiative to further support the Northwestern community in responding to any potential ICE activity on campus.

The takeaway

This training highlights the importance of empowering students and community members with practical knowledge and resources to protect their rights and support vulnerable populations in the face of increased immigration enforcement efforts.