DePaul YDSA Sanctuary Campus Campaign - ICE Off Campus!

With the dawn of a second Trump administration, immigrants’ rights once again face an existential attack. As a private Vincentian institution, DePaul University has an obligation to protect students, faculty, and campus workers from all oppressive threats. The University’s administration has taken excellent steps in this direction. We applaud University president Rob Manuel’s public opposition to on-campus ICE operations. However, to truly protect our community, our administration must be concretely proactive and publicly accountable. We, as the Young Democratic Socialists of America, call on DePaul University’s administration to make the following commitments:

• Prohibit, through binding contracts with university staff and contractors, all co-operation (including but not limited to physical access to “public” university property) with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol (USBP), and any other law enforcement body in regards to immigration enforcement without a judicially approved criminal warrant.
  

• Update contracts with private contractors (Guardian Security Services, e.g) to ensure these demands are followed, and release those contracts publicly when the process is complete.

• Provide formal training—led by community partners and relevant faculty—to students, ensuring they are taught (by the University) their rights when dealing with Immigration Enforcement.

• Protect international students targeted by immigration enforcement through maintaining their enrollment status, providing institutional backing, and administering direct legal aid.

• Inform students via Public Safety Alerts any time ICE, USBP, or other Immigration Enforcement Officers are seen on or near campus. To the extent it is legally permissible, inform individual students if ICE, USBP, or other Immigration Enforcement Officers request their information.

See our proposals for facilitation of these demands here. Here's our Instagram for more information and updates. Our demands will evolve as the campaign moves forward.

In taking a stand for marginalized communities and re-committing to our Vincentian values, DePaul University can set an example for other institutions. These simple steps will empower our defense against Donald Trump’s attack on higher education. We ask for students, faculty, and community members to sign this petition now! It is an important first step in the fight for justice.