Michigan State: 'Our goal is to reduce apprehension' of illegal immigrants
The website's goal is to "reduce apprehension," according to a university memo.
Michigan State University has a new website for "undocumented" students.
Editor’s note: This story first appeared on The Morning Watch. It has been republished with permission.
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Michigan State University launched a new website for “undocumented students, refugees, and recipients of...DACA,” with a goal to “reduce apprehension.”
MSU announced the launch of the website by the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives on January 24. According to a university memo obtained by The Morning Watch and shared with Campus Reform, “the website reflects our policy of nondiscrimination and commitment,” toward current and future MSU students, “regardless of immigration status.”
Those with “mixed immigration status” commonly “face barriers and challenges,” according to the statement, which points to MSU’s nondiscrimination policy to “support students from all backgrounds.” MSU student Abii-Tah Bih told The Morning Watch, “obtaining an F1 (student visa) is stressful and expensive...I missed the first week of classes because I did not receive my visa in time.”
She continued, “I am hopeful that eventually, enough awareness and advocacy will highlight the fact that nobody deserves what goes on.”
[RELATED: Columbia offers illegal immigrant students free legal help, ‘stress management’]
At the beginning of the website’s “frequently asked questions” (FAQ) section, MSU informs all students are eligible of its resources “regardless of immigration status.”
Further, according to an FAQ response, “undocumented” students can qualify for in-state tuition, depending on certain MSU criteria.
The website homepage reads, MSU “welcomes and supports students without regard to their immigration status.” It has two tabs, one for FAQ and another for “contacts.” Under the FAQ, there are sixteen different prompts relating to “undocumented” students on campus, resources they are eligible for, and under which situations ICE would come to campus, or when MSU police would have to comply with legal warrants.
Addressing ICE’s authority and the MSU Police Department’s relation to enforcing immigration rules, a website response refers to ICE’s “sensitive location policy” which includes colleges where unusual circumstances can warrant their involvement.
According to the website, ICE’s “sensitive locations policy” does not prohibit law enforcement in the immediate need for enforcement action. “This is also an agency policy not based in law or regulation, and may be modified or rescinded at any time.”
[RELATED: EXPERTS: New UMich tuition policy benefitting illegals violates intent of law]
The website says MSU is a public entity and cannot bar federal enforcement agencies, but states the MSU Police Department would prefer a notice to their arrival.
“I am sickened to my stomach that my money is going to the education of those who broke the law,” Sam Larey, President of Turning Point USA at MSU, told The Morning Watch.
“By aiding undocumented aliens, we spit in the face of immigrants who followed our laws,” Larey continued.
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