St. John's University has announced a controversial partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to create an immigration enforcement training institute, sparking significant backlash from the university community. A petition signed by over 900 faculty, students, and alumni emphasizes that the collaboration undermines the university's Catholic and Vincentian mission of serving marginalized groups, particularly immigrants. Critics argue that the CBP's track record of harsh enforcement practices poses ethical concerns, and they fear that the presence of CBP agents on campus could threaten community safety.
Refugees and migrants are our colleagues, classmates, neighbors, friends and family members. THEY are US, not abstractions or objects for careless academic study.
The partnership threatens 'the university's Catholic and Vincentian mission,' a group of faculty, students and alumni argued in a petition.
The project, announced on May 6, will establish the Institute for Border Security and Intelligence studies at the university's Collins College of Professional Studies.
The petition argues the partnership poses 'grave ethical, legal and cultural concerns - especially in light of St. John's University's mission to serve poor, immigrant and socially marginalized people.'
Collection
[
|
...
]