Augsburg University’s president condemned the detention of a student by federal immigration agents on campus Saturday afternoon, calling the encounter a violation of the university’s private property and its values.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in an unmarked vehicle followed a student into a parking lot on Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus and attempted to detain them. The confrontation, which unfolded in view of students in adjacent residence halls, raised immediate questions about the agents’ authority and conduct, Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow said.

“We’re on our own here,” he said. “This is happening, and we have no recourse.”

Pribbenow has been an outspoken advocate for immigrant and refugee students throughout his tenure. Earlier this year, he joined a coalition of college presidents in signing a letter opposing President Donald Trump’s efforts to exert political influence over higher education institutions.

While ICE has authority to detain individuals in public spaces, Augsburg is a private university where agents cannot enter or make arrests without a judicial warrant. The parking lot, though ungated, is likewise private university property.

“It was done on private property, without a warrant,” Pribbenow said. “From our perspective, that is illegal.”

Staff from Augsburg’s Department of Public Safety and residence life responded and immediately requested a judicial warrant, Provost Paula O’Loughlin wrote in a campuswide email Saturday evening.

Additional agents soon arrived, “pointing weapons at the crowd and pushing witnesses back” as students recorded the scene, she said. When a senior administrator again asked for a judicial warrant, agents refused, saying they did not have one.

“I want to emphasize that the staff and other Augsburg community members who were present followed our protocols,“ O’Loughlin wrote. ”The situation was particularly challenging given that it occurred outdoors, so the agents did not gain entry to any of our buildings.”

ICE ultimately took the student. Pribbenow said the university is in contact with their family and attorney and has begun consulting its own legal counsel. ICE officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“It did get to a point where the ICE agents got pretty belligerent,” Pribbenow said. “They had guns drawn and pointed at staff members.”

The incident has left students shaken, particularly those from Somali, East African and first-generation immigrant backgrounds, he said. About 15% of Augsburg’s total 3,500 students are Somali American, and roughly 80% of recent entering classes are students of color.

In response, Pribbenow said the university has locked all academic buildings to keycard access and will allow students who feel unsafe going home to remain in campus housing through the holidays. Faculty have been encouraged to offer flexibility in coursework and attendance as the semester concludes.

“They belong here, and we will do everything in our power to keep them safe,” Pribbenow said of his student body.

He added that he spoke with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s office on Monday and plans to review video footage and other evidence with university attorneys to determine whether any formal complaint or legal action is possible.

“We’ll see if there’s any vehicle or pathway that would allow us to go on record with our objections to what they did here,” he said.

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