By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Undocumented immigrants protected under President Barack Obama’s administration now face uncertainty when Donald Trump is sworn in as president next week.
Across the country, approximately 800,000 people have registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy that allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation.
But that status is now at risk.
“These undocumented youth are stuck in the middle of this,” said Luis Moreno, who teaches Latino studies at Bowling Green State University.
Based on Trump’s stance during the presidential campaign, those previously protected are now exposed. Since DACA was an executive order by Obama, Trump could revoke it as soon as he is in office.
“Students might be detained next week,” said Michaela Walsh, who also teaches Latino studies at BGSU. People who previously signed up for DACA gave the government information, “which makes them even more vulnerable.”
Moreno and Walsh led a community meeting Thursday evening about efforts to create a “sanctuary campus” at BGSU. More than 350 signatures have been collected on a petition that will be presented next week to the BGSU Faculty Senate. The goal is to garner support and convince BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey and the university trustees to consider the sanctuary concept.
“We want to provide buffers from people being deported,” Walsh said.
Bowling Green has a large immigrant population, including those undocumented. “There is a community here of undocumented students and employees at the university,” Moreno said, though no numbers were known.
“As citizens, it’s our duty to protect those people,” Walsh said.
A woman in the crowd at the community meeting at Grounds for Thought agreed. “It’s time for people in this community who feel safe to stand up,” she said.
Moreno noted how BGSU’s president has worked to promote diversity on campus, and added that he hoped that her dedication to students would extend to undocumented students. Other universities across the nation are considering similar actions.
A student in the crowd asked how they could help. It was suggested that students make their opinions known to Mazey as she begins a “listening tour” on campus. “You have a lot of power,” Walsh said.
Another person in the crowd asked if BGSU would lose federal funding if it became a sanctuary campus. The organizers said that is possible, but “there’s time to mount resistance to that,” Walsh said.
Another audience member, Raymond Gomez, said the issue extends far beyond campus. He talked about a co-worker who is an undocumented immigrant.
“He’s been here almost 50 years,” Gomez said. “We have to take this further than the university. I’m going to be God darned if I let them be ripped out of the country at gunpoint.”
Wood County has an estimated 6,000 Latino residents, according to Moreno.
“I’m still questioned today if I was born here,” he said, noting his family has been in the U.S. for generations. “There assume we are undocumented. Those stereotypes also affect me.”
Those organizing the sanctuary effort are hoping that the campus concept can be expanded to the city and the county to offer greater protection. Those in the audience were encouraged to attend Bowling Green City Council meetings. “The more voices they hear,” the more seriously they will take the issue, Moreno said.
People were urged to go to the BGSU Faculty Senate meeting on Tuesday afternoon, in McFall Center, when that organization may vote on the petition. Supporters are asked to rally outside the building at 2:10 p.m.
The petition calls for specific action from BGSU administration and Faculty Senate. Following is the text of the petition:
“We, the undersigned, believe the Trump administration’s proposed immigration policies pose a grave threat to BGSU’s mission of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Given these dire circumstances, we urge continued conversation and concrete action from the Faculty Senate and the BGSU administration.
”A guiding belief at BGSU is that students and educators belong to a community of diverse scholars, which enables BGSU to be an inclusive learning and working environment and a leader in advancing knowledge and tackling societal needs. These ideals of building a welcoming, safe, and diverse environment are more important now than ever. Throughout the electoral campaign, Donald Trump has advocated aggressive and punitive measures against undocumented immigrants. His election as president presents deep challenges for our campus community. BGSU students, staff, campus employees, and their families are the targets of hate speech and harassment. There are members of our campus community who feel frightened and vulnerable, and who live in fear of deportation. President-elect “Trump has promised to deport unprecedented numbers of undocumented immigrants from the United States, including students, and to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which currently provides temporary deportation relief for undocumented youth and grants authorization to work in the US. Collaborating with federal immigration authorities is beyond the scope of BGSU’s mission as an educational institution as well as a violation of the trust placed in both the university and the federal government by those here under the DACA program.
“These attacks on immigrants and their families are a threat to our entire BGSU community. As faculty and members of the BGSU community, we call upon the university to immediately undertake measures to make the campus a sanctuary for undocumented and other students, staff, contract workers, and their families who have been targeted by President-elect Trump’s proposed policies. We strongly encourage the Faculty Senate and university administrators to develop actionable steps for BGSU to provide a safe haven for all members of our campus community. In moving to ensure a safe and secure environment for education, research, and service, we join over a hundred universities and colleges across the country, among those Oberlin and Ohio State.
“Concretely, we encourage the university to take the following actions:
- Affirm commitment to support and protect all of BGSU’s students and workers, regardless of their citizenship status, religion, ethnicity, or national origin;
- Affirm commitment to not cooperate with federal ICE authorities regarding deportations or immigration raids;
- Take steps to create a policy similar to that of UCLA and other campuses, whereby Campus Police will not engage in helping the federal government with deportations or inquiring as to the immigration status of students.
- Take measures to safeguard the personal information of all students and workers;
- Provide strictly confidential counseling services for undocumented students, DACA recipients, staff, workers, and their families regarding their situations;
- Require that on-campus recruiters from the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement use civilian clothing, bring no weapons, and drive no official vehicles;
- Reaffirm the university’s commitment to create a campus atmosphere of respect by denouncing all hate speech directed at immigrant, minority, women, disabled, and LGBTQ students and workers, and by informing the campus of existing resources for reporting and responding to bias or hate incidents.
“We recognize that these decisions require thoughtful planning and deliberation. We wish to partner with the university administration to develop a sanctuary plan that will meet the needs of all members of the BGSU community.”
