With the dawn of a new Trump administration, news headlines have consistently focused on the erosion of immigrant rights. While this is taking place on the federal level, as a private Jesuit institution, Loyola has an essential role in protecting students, faculty, and campus workers. Through this belief, LUC Young Democratic Socialists of America are pushing for the university to take action.

To protect our communities, we must be proactive. We call on Loyola Chicago to do the following:

• Add official policies, that are set in stone, stating that Loyola is a sanctuary campus for all immigrants;

  • This status must not be able to be unilaterally revoked by Loyola administration.

• Commit to the following:

  • Never voluntarily working with ICE;

  • Never handing over data to ICE;

  • Maintaining and encouraging current DEI efforts; and

  • Providing robust legal support to all university members who might be detained by ICE.

• Immediately notify university members in cases where their names are targets for federal detainment or search;

• Loyola disseminate information on how to handle ice and necessary community resources to all university members;

  • This must include designation of non-public areas on campus accessible by all university members in the case of an ICE raid.

• Loyola host regular “know your rights” trainings, accessible to the public;

• And work with community organizations to ensure protection of immigrant students.

Our demands will evolve as our campaign moves forward.

In taking a stand for marginalized communities, Loyola Chicago can set an example for other universities. We believe that these actions are essential starting points where the university can effectively fight Trump's reactionary and oppressive policies. We ask for students, faculty, and community members to sign this petition merely as a starting point.