University Of Connecticut President: Campus Police Will Not Enforce Immigration Laws
STORRS, Conn. (CBS/AP) — The University of Connecticut says campus police will continue to steer clear of enforcing immigration laws.
UConn President Susan Herbst announced Tuesday that campus police formally adopted a longstanding policy of not inquiring individuals about their immigration status, not detaining people based solely on their citizenship status and not making arrests based on warrants from federal immigration authorities.
"UConn will continue to vigorously enforce state laws and university policies against hate crimes, discrimination, harassment, bias, and any other form of mistreatment that contradicts our values as an institution," Herbst said in a statement.
She also said the university will continue admitting qualified students regardless of their immigration status and offering qualified undocumented students the in-state tuition rate, as state law requires.
Herbst stopped short of declaring UConn a "sanctuary campus" as colleges including Wesleyan University in Middletown have done following Donald Trump's election as president.
"There have been calls for universities to designate themselves as 'sanctuary' campuses or cities. Though the term has been defined and interpreted in many different ways, as a state agency, UConn does not have the authority to unilaterally apply this designation to itself. The University must adhere to state and federal law. Because of the limits on the University's authority, designating our campuses as "sanctuaries" may be misleading to the very students we are seeking to support," Herbst said.
But she said UConn is doing things that are "essential elements" of sanctuary policies adopted in cities across the country.
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