Wake Forest University promised in a Monday statement to continue giving financial aid to illegal immigrant students.
The university offered counseling services and safe spaces in the letter sent in preparation for President Donald Trump’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which enables some illegal immigrants that entered the U.S. as minors to apply for a work permit and obtain a renewable two-year period of deferred actions.
“Wake Forest is here to support all our students, including those who are not U.S. citizens,” the university said. “We are a campus that welcomes diverse people and viewpoints. Our campus is richer for our diverse population and we will continue to provide financial aid, support services, and connection to legal resources for undocumented students.”
“You belong here and you are welcome here,” Wake Forest’s statement added.
The university cites a statement by its president, Nathan O. Hatch, in which Hatch says that Wake Forest community members protect one another from discrimination. The school also states its provision of counseling services, as well as spaces for “reflection and solace.”
Wake Forest’s statement is authored by interim chief diversity officer José A. Villalba, intercultural center director Johnathan McElderry, LGBTQ center director Angela Mazaris, and women’s center director Paige Meltzer.
Several other universities have avowed their support for DACA and called upon Trump to preserve it. (RELATED: Universities Profess Support For DACA, Call On Trump To Maintain It)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement labels schools, along with churches, health care facilities, ceremonies like funerals and weddings, and public demonstrations as “sensitive locations” at which it is less likely to take enforcement actions.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Wake Forest University for comment, but received none in time for publication.
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