Katy Varner, executive director of the American Federation of Teachers Kentucky Local 1360, said while there have been no documented incidents of ICE on community college campuses in the Commonwealth, educators are bracing for potential encounters.
"Faculty in general feel under threat right now, people are walking into classrooms, turning on their cellphones, recording what teachers say in the hopes that they can somehow get these folks fired," Varner explained. "People feel stressed."
At the beginning of last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revoked rules that had previously curtailed the actions of ICE agents at schools and college campuses. Varner pointed out that English learning classes have been a key offering of community colleges, adding that many faculty are proud of their connections to immigrant populations and their ability to provide access to higher education.
"Jefferson Community and Technical College has a large, large immigrant population, many of whom are learning to speak English," Varner noted. "Our English as a Second Language program was actually considered one of the best in the country."
According to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, there are around 17,000 first-generation and 15,000 second-generation immigrant students at Kentucky colleges and universities, as well as more than 20,000 international students.
