Resolution to Express Solidarity with Immigrants and to Oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement Activities on the campus of the University of Cincinnati
WHEREAS: The University of Cincinnati welcomes and supports students without regard to their citizenship or immigration status and is committed to providing an environment in which all admitted students can succeed;
WHEREAS: Ensuring that the University of Cincinnati campuses are safe and inviting for all students and their families will facilitate the physical safety and emotional well-being of all students in the University, and is paramount to students’ ability to achieve;
WHEREAS: This safe and inviting environment, as well as the learning environment and educational setting, would be disrupted by the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) agents or other immigration agents who come onto university property or conduct activities in and around university campuses;
WHEREAS: Recent immigration enforcement activities violate court orders, constitutional rights, human dignity, and cause physical and emotional harm and even deprivation of life;
WHEREAS: Recent immigration enforcement activities create hardships that affect health and present barriers to educational attainment, as well as a pervasive climate of fear, conflict and stress that affects all in our university, regardless of their background or status, such that community members whose family members, friends, or classmates may be at risk of deportation, as well as community members who could face deportation themselves, are all at risk;
WHEREAS: Involving campus police in enforcing federal civil immigration law will create the perception that they are immigration agents and decrease the likelihood of members of the university community cooperating with campus police based on fears that this would lead to their deportation or the deportation of family members;
WHEREAS: Primary jurisdiction over federal immigration laws does not rest with campus police or any other state or local law enforcement agency;
WHEREAS: Some cities, counties, schools, and higher education institutions have adopted policies that limit entanglement with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency and resist any government action that may lead to the discovery of a person’s immigration status;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the American Association of University Professors, University of Cincinnati chapter hereby affirms solidarity with migrants on our campus and in our city, state, and nation;
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the American Association of University Professors University of Cincinnati chapter hereby declares that the University of Cincinnati is a safe place for its students, staff, and faculty and their families to seek help, assistance, and information if faced with fear and anxiety about immigration enforcement efforts;
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the American Association of University Professors, University of Cincinnati chapter calls upon the University of Cincinnati to develop a policy concerning the presence of ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency on campus that acknowledges the following: 1. Campus police have no authority to enforce federal immigration law. 2. Campus police will not participate in immigration enforcement efforts of federal authorities. 3. UC will not support illegal, warrantless, entry into spaces such as classrooms, dormitories, and faculty offices;
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the American Association of University Professors, University of Cincinnati chapter calls upon the University of Cincinnati to refrain from sharing information about faculty, staff, and students that would support ICE’s or any other agency’s illegal activities on campus.