U Of I President Pledges Protection For Undocumented Students

The president of the University of Illinois last month rejected calls to make the U of I a so-called sanctuary campus. But President Timothy Killeen is pledging to continue protections for undocumented students on the university’s three campuses.

In a mass email sent out on Tuesday, and signed by Killeen, Executive Vice-President Barbara Wilson and the chancellors of the three U of I campuses, the university president made no mention of the sanctuary campus proposal. But he he wrote that the U of I’s place as a global leader in education rests in part on its undocumented students.

Killeen says the university’s resolve to help students lacking documentation was only strengthened by concerns about the possible loss of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. The Obama administration launched DACA to protect undocumented people who were brought into the U-S as minors. As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump said he would terminate the program, if elected.

With the in mind, Killeen stated that the university will lobby for the BRIDGE Act in Congress. The legislation would extend the provisions of DACA for three years. Killeen said the U of I would also support legislation in Springfield that would allow state universities to provide financial aid for undocumented students.

Meanwhile, Killeen pledged that the university would continue to admit students without consideration of immigration status, would not keep records about students’ immigration status, and only disclose private information about students if compelled by law. He says Campus Police would continue to neither inquire nor make arrests based on immigration status alone, not even on behalf of federal immigration agencies, unless required by law or if a felony charge is involved.

“From the very beginning, the U of I System has been an institution centered squarely on students”, wrote Killeen in closing, “and that means all of our students.

Killeen’s mass e-mail came one day before Pres. Donald Trump was to announce new executive actions regarding immigration during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security.

Text of 1/24/17 mass e-mail from KIlleen and other U of I officials:

Dear students, faculty and staff:

The University of Illinois System has earned a place as a global leader in education and discovery by opening our doors wide to the most talented students – and that includes our undocumented students.

Recent speculation that the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program could be eliminated only strengthens our resolve to continue in our efforts to support student welfare, success and their collective impact on the public good.

Since 2012, DACA has supported undocumented students across the U of I System, providing a life-changing pathway to a University of Illinois degree without fear of deportation. The program also supports the best interests of our state and nation, nurturing the talents of students who are already an integral part of our universities and who wish to become leaders in the workforce and in their communities.

The U of I System remains firmly committed to the principles of opportunity and equality, and will advocate strongly for recently introduced federal legislation known as the BRIDGE Act (Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy), a bipartisan proposal cosponsored by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin that would extend the provisions of the DACA program for three years. We also will continue to champion proposed state legislation that would give four-year public universities in Illinois the authority to provide institutional financial aid for undocumented students.

In the meantime, the University of Illinois System and all three universities pledge to continue the following:
•    We admit students without consideration of their immigration status.
•    We do not inquire about or keep records of whether a student is an undocumented immigrant.
•    We vigorously protect students’ privacy rights in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). We do not disclose private information about students unless compelled by law to do so.
•    Our campus police officers do not inquire about immigration status and do not detain or make arrests based solely on immigration status unless compelled by law to do so.
•    Campus police will not detain an individual in response to a federal agency or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) request unless doing so is required by law or unless an individual has been charged or convicted of a felony.

From the very beginning, the U of I System has been an institution centered squarely on students. And that means all of our students.

Sincerely,

Tim Killeen
President

Barbara J. Wilson
Executive Vice President/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Michael Amiridis
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Susan J. Koch
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Springfield