Education

Syracuse Chancellor Hesitant To Label University A ‘Sanctuary Campus’

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Jason Chulack Reporting Intern
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Campus officials at Syracuse University are reluctant to declare their school a “sanctuary campus” out of fear of losing federal funding, The Daily Orange reported Wednesday.

A sanctuary campus is intended to protect undocumented students by defying federal immigration laws. It’s becoming increasingly common for students across the nation to urge their school to make this declaration, but not all campus leaders are willing to follow suit.

The campus community has pressured Chancellor Kent Syverud by creating a petition that urges him to declare SU a sanctuary campus.

The petition reads in part:

“The president-elect and his cabinet promise to immediately deport millions of immigrants and abolish the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program that provides relief from deportation for long-settled youth in the United States.”

It continues:

“We strongly urge the university to take action in order to protect the members of our community who are likely to be affected by the president-elect’s proposed anti-immigrant policy.”

In an email sent to the the campus community in December, Chancellor Syverud said SU “simply cannot ignore federal laws.” Additionally, during an address to the campus in January, Syverud said it’s not entirely clear what having sanctuary status would mean and the university can’t ignore federal immigration laws without facing the possibility of losing federal funds, The Daily Orange reports.