PHOENIX — The board that oversees Arizona’s three state universities voted Friday to urge president-elect Donald Trump to protect students who were illegally brought into the county when they were children, while specifically rejecting efforts to designate the schools as “sanctuary campuses.”
The Arizona Board of Regents voted unanimously to send a letter to Trump applauding his efforts to boost border security but saying that he should work with Congress to protect the students. Trump campaigned on ending President Barack Obama’s immigration actions, including the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program known as DACA. That program has given work permits and relief from deportation to more than 700,000 young immigrants, about 27,000 in Arizona.
The letter notes that allowing the student to legally stay in the U.S. is within the rule of law because most were brought to the U.S. when they “lacked meaningful capacity to have violated our immigration laws.”
Board chair Greg Patterson said Arizona’s university system will not do what others across the nation are doing — considering or adopting policies that give sanctuary to students living in the U.S. without authorization.
“We’re not going to be a sanctuary campus. It’s pretty clear in here that we say we’re going to follow the law,” Patterson said. “That’s just the answer — we’re going to follow the law.”
Northern Arizona University President Rita Chang told the board that she appreciated the board position about following the law.
“Your letter helps to reinforce that we’re following the law, we will always follow the law and that we advocate for the DACA students but we’re not going to be sanctuary campuses, and I appreciate that,” Chang said.
