A Rutgers University law center is facing scrutiny for conducting seminars that instruct Arab and Muslim students on how to avoid detection by U.S. immigration authorities. The Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), led by Professor Sahar Aziz, hosted “Know Your Rights” events on April 28 and May 7, offering guidance on digital security and interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
During the April 28 seminar, speaker Golnaz Fakhimi advised students to disable biometric features like Face ID and use strong passcodes to prevent officials from accessing their smartphones. She warned that federal agents possess tools capable of retrieving deleted content from devices.
The May 7 session, led by Professor Raquel Aldana of the University of California, Davis, emphasized that universities should not collaborate with ICE and should define private spaces within campuses to shield students from immigration enforcement.
These seminars have raised concerns due to CSRR’s history of hosting controversial figures. In 2021, the center organized an event featuring Sami Al-Arian, a former professor convicted of aiding the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization. Additionally, CSRR has affiliated with individuals like Joseph Massad, who described the October 7 Hamas terror attacks which killed 1,200 Israelis, almost entirely civilians, as “awesome” and “innovative,” and Susan Akram, who referred to Hamas and Hezbollah as “resistance movements.”
Professor Aziz, who founded CSRR in 2018, has been criticized for her stance on U.S. foreign policy and her comments regarding Jewish-American groups. She has accused the Trump administration of targeting Palestinian and Muslim students and called on Jewish-American organizations to oppose what she termed “fascist behavior” by groups claiming to protect Jews.
Rutgers University receives substantial federal funding, with over $560 million allocated for research projects. The CSRR operates under Rutgers Law School and is partially funded through the university’s chancellor’s budget and the Rutgers University Foundation.
The Department of Education is currently investigating whether Rutgers and other universities have enabled anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities on their campuses. House and Senate Republicans have also launched investigations into CSRR’s activities, citing concerns over its alleged support for terrorism and anti-Semitism.
Rutgers declined to respond to reporters from the Washington Free Beacon who reached out for comment.
