Rutgers has started its own petition to be a sanctuary campus
Universities across the nation have also united under this cause
Amidst President-elect Donald Trump’s promises to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and his intentions to ban Muslims from coming into the United States, colleges everywhere have started a new movement called “Sanctuary Campus.”
Rutgers has joined the ranks alongside NYU, Stanford, Brown, UMass Amherst and more in this movement that first started off with a “Walk-out” Demonstration in reaction to Trump’s xenophobic remarks. Hundreds of Rutgers students and members of the New Brunswick community participated in Rutgers’ Walk-out Demonstration, which took place at 3 p.m. yesterday at Voorhees Mall and made its way down College Avenue.
The movement ultimately hopes to provide undocumented students “sanctuary” by publicly stating their support for undocumented immigrants, while other schools hope to limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities should a deportation raid occur, or by withholding information about a student’s legal status in the country.
Rutgers’ petition was addressed to President Barchi and includes 11 actions that students hope will protect their undocumented peers, including requests such as ensuring “that the identities of undocumented members of our community continue to be protected,” and prohibiting “housing discrimination based on immigration status.”
If you would like to sign Rutgers’ #SanctuaryCampus petition, you can here.