STORRS, Conn. — The University of Connecticut says it will do all it can to support students who don’t have legal immigration status even though it can’t become a sanctuary campus.
UConn President Susan Herbst told the university community in an email Tuesday campus police won’t question immigration status or detain anyone based on administrative warrants from federal officials.
The university, she said, will continue to admit qualified students regardless of immigration status, give them access to services such as health care and keep their status confidential. She said the university also will push for state legislation that would make more financial aid available to students without legal immigration status.
“UConn will do everything lawfully within our authority to provide an environment in which all students can feel secure as they pursue their education on our campuses,” Herbst said.
But she also said the university, as a state institution, must abide by state and federal laws and can’t unilaterally declare itself a sanctuary.
A group of immigrant students, some living in the United States illegally, attended a Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday and called on the university to codify its intent to protect them.
“I think it was a very important step, but an email is not policy,” said Eric Cruz Lopez, a junior whose family came to the United States from Mexico when he was 7 years old. “It is important that we have it written as policy of the university that this is how they will act.”
