By STANFORD EDITORS
Last Friday, rumors that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made an appearance on campus quickly spread through group chats, social media, dorm channels and club messaging boards. Though the rumors were dispelled within a few hours, that same night, the university announced that six student visas had been revoked by federal authorities.
As the executive editing team of The Daily, we want to confront what these rumors — and the broader context they were made in — mean for our newsroom and our work on campus.
First and foremost, they mean that student speech, from our own reporters and those we’re reporting on, is startlingly chilled. Both students and faculty have been increasingly hesitant to speak to The Daily and increasingly worried about comments that have already been made on the record. Some reporters have been choosing to step away from stories in order to keep their name detached from topics that might draw unwanted attention. Even authors of dated opinion pieces have expressed fear that their words might retroactively put them in danger.
In a time when a Tufts University graduate student can be detained and have her visa revoked for an op-ed she wrote over a year ago, these fears are entirely understandable. … When the publication of an op-ed is grounds to put a student in a detention center, it is clear that the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech is under attack. …
We urge the university to take active and public steps toward the safety of students, faculty and staff. … Though a statement from the president and provost is not likely to change the course of the government’s actions, it will signal to Stanford’s community that their administration is actively supporting those who are being targeted.
Going forward, The Daily will be taking [action] … Specifically, anonymity for students who feel threatened will be granted with more leniency than before.
We will continue to do our job as journalists to provide accurate, objective information, and we call on Stanford administration to do their job in upholding the university’s values and protecting its students.