TIE Webinar Wrap-Up: ICE in Academic Libraries: Tips, Protocols, and Strategies for Protecting Campus Communities

Posted on September 8, 2026 in Webinars

Authors:

Teresa Helena MorenoAriel DyerKelly McElroyFatima Mohie-Eldin
Illustration of people protesting ICE against the words "ICE in Academic Libraries: Tips, Protocols, and Strategies for Protecting Campus Communities"

Last week, the Toward Inclusive Excellence webinar “ICE in Academic Libraries: Tips, Protocols, and Strategies for Protecting Campus Communities” brought together academic librarians from three institutions to share the steps and protocols they have employed on their campuses, along with suggestions for what other academic librarians can and should do to respond to the increasing number of immigration enforcement raids on college and university campuses. Similar to PLA’s webinar, “Responding to ICE in the Library: Real World Approaches,” this webinar provided actionable steps for attendees to begin implementing in their own libraries, with a specific focus on the academic library community.

This presentation also served as a follow-up to last year’s TIE webinar, “U.S. Newcomers in Academic Libraries,” building on the topic of how best to support immigrant and refugee communities on and around college and university campuses, while acknowledging the increasing presence of ICE in these spaces and providing practical tips for how librarians can best keep their campus communities safe in this climate. Presenters Teresa Helena Moreno (Assistant Professor and Librarian, University of Illinois Chicago), Ariel Dyer (Reference & Instruction Librarian, Bakersfield College), and Kelly McElroy (Outreach Librarian and Associate Professor, Oregon State University Libraries) each shared important perspectives on how best to engage in this work. One resounding suggestion that rang throughout the session was to look outside the library to find who is already doing this work in your community and connect with those individuals and organizations.

Overall, it was an engaging session with high audience participation, affirming for those in attendance that there is solidarity to be found and communities to tap into for support. You can watch (or rewatch) the webinar here, and you can find all the resources shared during the presentation below. We are grateful to Teresa, Ariel, and Kelly for presenting their work on such an important topic and to everyone who attended.

Watch Here:

Audience Q&A

  • How would you suggest dealing with pushback from other staff or even an adversarial administration, particularly for those working in more conservative states? [50:30]

  • I’m concerned for our TPS (Temporary Protected Status) students here in Ohio, particularly after a Haitian TPS student (Pierre Damas Bel) took their own life after ICE placed an ankle monitor on their leg. How can we in libraries provide a safe space and encourage programs that will support our most vulnerable student populations? [56:29]

Webinar Resources

Organizations/Initiatives/Web Pages

News Articles

Reports/Journal Articles

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Header image is a detail of This is Harlem by Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. © 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. For more information, click here.

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