Dive Brief:
- Students at more than 100 colleges across the country staged a mass walkout in protest of anti-immigration stances taken by President-elect Donald Trump against undocumented families. They issued a call for "sanctuary campuses" for students who could potentially be deported for un-naturalized status.
- Students worry that policies protecting undocumented citizens, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative, could be repealed under the new administration.
- Faculty members, including those at Brown University, have joined the call against federal removal of students from campus settings. “Given that many students, staff members and their families are directly affected by this issue, we urge the University to immediately work to develop a protocol for the University serving as a sanctuary campus,” read one faculty letter from the Ivy League campus published earlier this week.
Dive Insight:
The immigration issue was among the most discussed issues on the campaign trail and will remain so throughout the duration of Trump's presidency. But there is great irony in the increasing push for sanctuary space for undocumented citizens and the parallel push from African-Americans on these same campuses for safe space.
Colleges have a unique position to offer research and advocacy on these issues, while generating widespread media coverage for the efforts of students and alumni. But, there must be honest conversation about why one group receives so much outward support and why other groups, comprised mostly of citizens, continue to feel marginalized.