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Abstract: 

The Trump administration campaigned on a pledge to deal with the problem of illegal immigration. While the issue got a lot of traction among the voters who elected him, the country remains deeply divided on immigration: the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, with a long and contradictory history of both xenophobia and exploitation on one hand, and multiculturalism and due process rights on the other. Even as the President issued executive orders restricting immigration from “non-Christian” countries and stepping up immigration enforcement domestically, a strong “sanctuary” counter-movement has arisen with the expressed aim of preserving the gains under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. More and more municipalities are enacting statutes declaring themselves “sanctuary” communities, college towns foremost among them. This article examines the legal and social background of the sanctuary movement, and examines efforts to create sanctuary campuses.

Keywords: “Dreamers”; Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; forbid law enforcement to stop people on suspicion of illegal immigration status; marginalized populations; federal funding

Affiliations:  1: Fordham University.