At the start of the month, over 100 Cornell students braved the blistering cold to send a clear message to Cornell’s administration: The federal deportation machinery has to go — and Cornell must end its support for the entire apparatus. We made it clear that students will not stay silent as our innocent friends and neighbors are abducted or killed by our own government, certainly not while Cornell’s administration collaborates with the perpetrators of those crimes.
Nearly three months ago, the Student Assembly adopted Resolution 9: Ending Career Services Collaboration with ICE. The resolution, as part of the assembly’s legislative authority over the Department of Student and Campus Life, blocked any further collaboration between Cornell Career Services and ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the 2025-2026 academic year. On December 10th, President Kotlikoff responded to the resolution in what I would call a nothing-response, simply restating university policies and rationales. On top of continuing their existing practices in collaboration with ICE and CBP in violation of the student assembly charter, Cornell will be hosting ICE at a career fair event in March. Let’s be clear here: their disregard for their binding contract with the assembly is blatant, cowardly and dangerous.
Under the Student Assembly charter Article I Sections 1-3, President Kotlikoff must request reconsideration of any legislation within 30 days of its passage, if the administration would like to block that legislation. President Kotlikoff was already in violation of this provision months ago when he failed to respond in a timely manner, and his nothing-response this month made the violation even more glaring, as it showed that he has knowledge of his obligation to respond with a request to reconsider within 30 days; he just doesn’t care to fulfill it. Without having submitted a timely response, Kotlikoff and the Cornell administration have no recourse and no veto power under the student assembly charter.
Resolution 9 must be enacted as written or the Cornell administration will be in active violation of its legally binding agreement with the Student Assembly.
In January, multiple CBP agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37 year old ICU nurse who was helping a woman up off the ground. Many have seen the horrifying video of masked agents repeatedly shooting him while he was restrained. Meanwhile, Cornell Career Services currently has the following events with CBP advertised online, in violation of resolution 9 and the student assembly charter’s binding agreement: CBP Pilot Recruitment Webinar, Customs and Border Protection Officer Recruitment, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Virtual Career Fair Expo, and Border Patrol Agent Recruitment Webinar. Career Services also continues to advertise information to students on how to find jobs as CBP officers on their website. Frankly, I don’t want to go to a university that is helping recruit the next batch of Donald Trump’s murderer-agents. This month's protests showed that Cornell’s student body doesn’t want that either.
Let me end with a clear message to Cornell’s administration: while I respect the work you do and I respect the difficult position you are in vis-à-vis the current presidential administration, you must understand that now is not the time for cowardice. Masked agents are killing people on the streets, and students are fed up. If your settlement last semester with the Trump administration really did secure the University’s independence, then you have nothing to fear. Enforce Resolution 9. Cancel events with Customs and Border Protection. Follow the promises you made in the student assembly charter. And let me remind you that if you do not, breach of contract is a legal cause of action.
Max Ehrlich is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at mae222@cornell.edu.
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