False Report of ICE Agent on Cornell’s Campus Created Panic

Cornell University went into a panic when students falsely reported that an ICE agent was on their campus:

But according to a statement from the school’s newly-appointed president, Martha Pollack, the individual was actually “an independent contractor for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management” (OPM) who was conducting “a routine background check related to an individual’s application with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

“When the contractor identified himself at a visitor booth, a false rumor quickly circulated across campus and on social media that the visitor was an officer of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Pollack explained, though she also absolved the over-anxious gossipers, asserting that “it is understandable in light of recent, local action by ICE, that this news—while inaccurate—would be met with great concern.”

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