Campus, Long Beach, News

General Order 55 made permanent

Cal State University Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley announced Friday that campus police officers may arrest undocumented persons within their jurisdiction only if there is probable cause that he or she has violated a local ordinance or state or federal law unrelated to immigration.

General Order 55, which was originally made an interim policy on April 27, came as a result of the campus police department’s involvement in the deportation of Jose Alvarez.

Alvarez was stopped by a CSULB police officer on February 21 for a broken headlight.  He was then held at the University Police Station after his name triggered a hit in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement database, for a 21-year-old nonviolent drug charge for which he served prison time.

Hours after being transferred to the University Police Station, Alvarez was deported by ICE to Tijuana.

General Order 55 instructs the CSULB police department that “officers shall not stop or detain persons for determining immigration status or arrest persons solely for alleged undocumented entry into the United States.”

According to the CSULB website, the University Police Department’s jurisdiction includes the “campus and areas adjacent to campus.” The details of the geographic boundary are outlined pursuant to the Kristin Smart Campus Safety Act of 1998 and are available at the public’s request.

You can be certain this year’s graduation ceremonies will continue CSULB’s long-standing tradition of welcoming the family and friends of our graduating students, regardless of their status,” wrote Conoley in an announcement. “… Now I can say to all of you that our campus policies match our aspirations. General Order 55 should reassure our Dreamers that Cal State Long Beach is behaving in ways that match their dreams.”

One Comment

  1. Avatar

    Ok, so if I get this right, a person currently in violation of the law must break or show evidence of breaking a second law in order for enforcement of the first broken law. Hmmm, yeah, that makes perfect sense.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Daily 49er newsletter

Instagram