Williamstown — Rumors circulated on the morning of April 9 that agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) were on the campus of Williams College.
Amy Lovett, the college’s editor-in-chief and interim director of media relations in the Office of Communications, told The Berkshire Edge in a phone call that the report is “unsubstantiated” as of 2:18 p.m.
Similarly, Williamstown Police Chief Mike Ziemba stated in a 2:38 p.m. email that he “cannot confirm or deny” the presence of ICE officers in town. He said he has been in touch with Williams College Security Director Jeff Palmer several times during the day.
“I can tell you the [Williamstown] Police Department did not see ICE nor were we ever contacted by them,” Ziemba stated.
Earlier that afternoon, at 1:48 p.m., Palmer sent out a “Williams College Alert” via email to address the rumors. “We have found no evidence to substantiate these claims at this time,” the correspondence states.
Palmer advocates that any individual who witnessed activities related to the alleged events contact Campus Safety Services and advises those on campus of actions they should take if they are approached by immigration officers.
“Today’s rumors have challenged our collective sense of safety,” the alert states.
A copy of the Williams College Alert of April 9 can be found here.
Attempts to contact ICE spokesperson James Covington were not returned by press time.
This is a developing story.
