As fear grows that government agents will raid college campuses seeking undocumented immigrants enrolled there, several organizations are working to support worried students.
“One of the most important things at times like this is to try to stay as calm as possible,” said Colette Morrow, advisor of the Social Justice Club. “Whether or not it is affecting you, this can really be a stressful time for students as well as start becoming disruptive towards their learning abilities.”
The Social Justice Club has dedicated its time and efforts to ensure equality on campus and in the community since 2002.
Unidos, which is focused on sharing Latino heritage on campus, focuses on providing nervous students with a sense of community.
“I think that it is important to have a club like Unidos so that students know that they are not alone and that there are other students who are going through similar emotions,” said Elvira Reyes, club secretary and a senior Political Science and Communication major. “We never want to make anyone feel excluded, if you are open to wanting to learn about Hispanic and Latino heritage just know you have a strong community supporting you.”
Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that authorizes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to raid both schools and churches, places that had been off-limits.
But Brian Miller, director of Public Safety, does not anticipate such raids.
“I have been the chief of police here for 10 years and … I do not expect ICE to come here because our students are not bad people,” said Miller. “All of our international students on campus have their visas.”
The Purdue University system has not commented on the potential for ICE raids, but has affirmed that it complies with federal laws that protect the privacy of students’ education records of students.
“As a faculty member, I appreciate the university’s guidance regarding how employees should respond,” said Morrow. “At the same time, I encourage the Faculty Senate and the senior leadership team to work together to develop humane protocols to ensure students’ physical and psychological well-being and empathically responding to their stress and fears for themselves and their families.”
