INDIANAPOLIS -- In an effort to make campuses across Indiana a sanctuary, students at various Hoosier colleges participated in a walkout Wednesday at 3 p.m.
A sanctuary campus, much like a sanctuary city, would protect immigrants from deportations and raids inside the boundaries of the university.
In Indianapolis at IUPUI, the walkout took place on the Taylor Courtyard at 3 p.m.
According to a letter by the walkout’s organizer, Hector Morales, those protesting are asking for three things:
- All students on campus receive an experience free of hostilities, aggression and bullying regarding immigration status, race, sexual orientation and religious affiliation.
- IUPUI declared as a sanctuary campus, refusing to comply with immigration authorities when it comes to deportations or raids.
- Refuse to release the immigration status information of students and community members to a government agency.
"We believe this to be a practical and concrete step that will have profound implications for those affected by the president-elect’s promise to increase deportations immediately upon taking office in January." - Morales wrote
The walkout is part of a nationwide effort, where students in more than 80 colleges across the country are protesting to make their campus a sanctuary campus.
Other Indiana school participating are:
- Wabash College
- Indiana State University
- Indiana University
- Depauw University
- University of Notre Dame
The movement stems from president-elect Donald Trump's stance on immigration policy, threatening deportations and round-ups. Trump said in his first interview with "60 Minutes" that he was seeking to deport 2-3 million undocumented immigrants.
"What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate," Trump told 60 Minutes.
The walkout’s Facebook page says “… young people are across the country are walking out to say they will do whatever it takes to stop Trump and his immigration enforcement machine, and they are calling on their schools and universities to make the same commitment.”
