Profs push for Rutgers to declare itself 'sanctuary campus'

Members of the faculty union are calling on Rutgers to say it will not cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump and federal authorities if they try to deport unauthorized immigrant students.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Faced with fears about what might happen to immigrants once Donald Trump takes office, Rutgers University's president released a statement last month promising to do everything in the school's power to keep students safe.

But the Nov. 15 letter to the campus was not enough for some Rutgers faculty members, who want President Robert Barchi to declare the school a "sanctuary campus" for immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of the faculty union plan to join Rutgers students calling for a "sanctuary campus" at a protest at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday outside the Board of Governors meeting at Winant's Hall on the New Brunswick campus.

"We need 'sanctuary' in order to keep Rutgers as we love it and as it currently is: a place open to all who wish to challenge themselves amid new ideas in community with students of color, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ students, women and men. After 250 years, 'sanctuary' is who we are," said Deepa Kumar, vice president of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT, the faculty union.

Rutgers promises to protect all students

Barchi did not use the term "sanctuary campus" in his letter to the campus last month and he has not publicly expanded on that statement, said E.J. Miranda, a university spokesman.

In the November letter, Barchi said Rutgers police do not regularly inquire or record students' immigration status. The university also does not consider immigrations status when assigning students' housing, the president said.

"We will protect student confidentiality and will not share private information unless required by law or a court order. We expect all persons associated with the university to protect student privacy and confidentiality, as well," Barchi wrote.

Across the country, students and faculty members have been pressuring universities to declare themselves "sanctuary campuses" where university officials would refuse to cooperate with federal officials who might want to deport students living in the country illegally.

The leaders of some schools, including Columbia University and Wesleyan University, have declared their campuses "sanctuaries" for immigrant students. But other university presidents, including Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber, have said the term "sanctuary campus" has no basis in law and it is meaningless for schools to declare themselves exempt from immigration laws.

During the presidential campaign, Trump spoke often about wanting to deport unauthorized immigrants. He has also indicated he might reverse President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a 2012 federal order granting a temporary waiver for unauthorized immigrants brought to the country as children.

Immigrants living in the country illegally can attend New Jersey public colleges at the in-state tuition rates under a 2013 law signed by Gov. Chris Christie.

A study found at least 300 unauthorized immigrants were taking classes at New Jersey's four-year colleges in 2014, including at least 202 at Rutgers. Those numbers were expected to rise as Rutgers and other schools began to publicize the new law and recruit unauthorized immigrant students.

As high school seniors begin applying for admission to Rutgers for the upcoming year, they should know if the school is a "sanctuary campus" for students living in the country illegally, said David Hughes, president of Rutgers' faculty union.

"Undocumented, college-bound women and men may simply forego the risk of applying to Rutgers. The declaration of sanctuary would dispel much of that fear and re-establish Rutgers as a campus open to prospective DACA students," Hughes said.