Two linked developments show immigration enforcement and contract bargaining pressures are reshaping campuses: at the University of California, student workers and international employees accuse the system of abandoning international students amid bargaining over protections, while Minnesota colleges reported enrollment declines and student disengagement after a regional ICE operation. UC student organizers say the system refused contractual guarantees on speech protections, non‑cooperation with ICE and a legal defense fund for workers; 43% of UC student workers are international, and unions have authorized strike votes. In Minnesota, colleges reported steep drops — Minneapolis College new student enrollment fell 16% — and administrators warned the trauma from enforcement will persist into next academic year. Clarification: The regional enforcement action, described locally as Operation Metro Surge, involved increased federal immigration activity that led some students to avoid campus and others to take leaves of absence.
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