Guidance on Potential ICE Visits to Pitt Campus

Good afternoon all:

We recognize that you may be receiving questions about potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) visits to campus, and wanted to provide guidance for these conversations.

If you’re asked by staff or faculty what to do, here is the current guidance:

If any federal officials, including ICE, come to your building, you should first contact the University of Pittsburgh Police Department at 412-624-2121 for their help in verifying credentials and clarifying the purpose of their visit, as appropriate.
You should also call the Office of University Counsel (OUC) at 412-624-5674  for additional guidance, as appropriate.
If the visit is related to a student, faculty or staff member on a Pitt-sponsored visa, you should next contact the Office of International Services (OIS) at 412-624-7120.
Until the Pitt Police arrive,  please ask the individuals to remain in the lobby/entrance area of your space, if applicable, and do not share information with them.
We also previously put out general safety reminders to the broader campus community via Pittwire Today. This included best practices for not only visits from government agents, but also media and other officials.

For additional context on anticipated visits to campus, U.S. Customs and Immigration Services started the Administrative Site Visit and Verification Program in July 2009 as an additional way to verify information in certain visa petitions, such as adjudicated H-1B visa’s. Under this program, immigration officers make unannounced site visits to collect information as part of a compliance review.  Pitt has not experienced any out of the ordinary ICE visits this year and we are currently not expecting any. 

Thank you.