College students are organizing #SanctuaryCampus protests to protect undocumented immigrants after the election
Students are walking out of college campuses all across the nation in support of undocumented immigrants.
In an interview with 60 minutes, President-elect Donald Trump said one of his first acts as president will be the deportation of 3 million undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. Given the many instances of racism and harassment that have occurred nationwide since election day, many undocumented immigrants who have not committed crimes still worry for their status and safety in the coming years.
The walk-outs serve as a protest of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and a push for their colleges to become “sanctuary campuses.”
As far as definitions go, a “sanctuary campus” can mean a number of things: Some petitions ask universities to publicly declare their support for undocumented students. Others ask that their schools promise not to release information on students’ immigration status to the feds or team up with ICE for immigration raids. The ideology follows that of a sanctuary city.
Vera Parra, an organizer with Cosecha Movement, says the protests are “…not necessarily directed at school administration, but about supporting undocumented students on campuses and their fears about what can happen to them and their families under a Donald Trump administration.”
In short: It’s about solidarity, and making sure vulnerable communities feel safe and supported in a scary time.
Rutgers University Walkout Against Trump and for a #SanctuaryCampus — ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything pic.twitter.com/C8NtNokYkQ
— Jav Mendez (@whoisjavmendez) November 16, 2016
“We are fighting to make our campus a #SanctuaryCampus and are part of the movement to establish public spaces of resistance and protection for our country’s most vulnerable people — including undocumented immigrants, Muslims, Black people, Queer people, and all people of color,” the group wrote on their website. Right on!
