Protesting students voice discontent over campus disturbances by NIA
Immigration Agency Operations at Taiwanese Universities Spark Controversy and Protests
In a recent incident at National Taiwan University (NTU), personnel from the National Immigration Agency (NIA) and the Taipei Foreign and Disabled Labor Office conducted a search for illegal migrant workers on the university's main campus. The actions of the NIA officials, who did not notify the university beforehand and were seen without campus staff, have sparked controversy and protests from students and faculty.
The incident, which took place on Thursday at noon outside a student cafeteria, began when several people in plain clothes, claiming to be NIA officials, stopped a cyclist and demanded their ID number and scanned their face without consent. The cyclist in question was later identified as the son of a food stall owner. The NIA officials then focused their attention on a kitchen worker at a nearby cafeteria stall and escorted them off campus.
The NTU Student Association accused the NIA officials of failing to be accompanied by campus staff during the search, a practice that is considered standard in university-immigration agency coordination. The association also perceived the actions of the NIA officials as infringing on fundamental rights.
In response to the disruption caused to the university, the Taipei Foreign and Disabled Labor Office expressed regret and pledged to strengthen training to prevent similar incidents. The NIA, too, issued an apology for disturbing the campus. The university has also agreed to coordinate with the NIA to ensure that officials report to the university in advance before conducting future operations on campus.
The arrested worker, a 31-year-old Vietnamese woman, would be handed over to the authorities for further processing, according to the NIA. The university was not informed beforehand about the search.
The incident has prompted students at NTU to protest against the actions of the NIA officials, highlighting the tension between campus communities and immigration authorities regarding such enforcement actions. While there is no publicly detailed formal protocol for how immigration agencies coordinate with universities before campus operations, the student protests suggest that these operations are often perceived as intrusive and provoke an institutional and student backlash.
Universities may advocate for safeguarding the campus environment and protecting international students and the university community from aggressive immigration enforcement practices. The controversy surrounding the NIA's actions at NTU underscores the need for more sensitive, coordinated approaches respecting the educational environment.
- The controversy surrounding the NIA's actions at National Taiwan University (NTU) has led to discussions about the importance of education-and-self-development, emphasizing the need for a learning environment that is free from disruptions caused by immigration enforcement.
- It is crucial for universities, like NTU, to advocate for safeguarding their campus environments, ensuring that learning experiences are not negatively impacted by aggressive immigration enforcement practices involving learning and education-and-self-development.
