In the face of Donald Trump’s pledge to start large-scale deportations, California State University Chancellor Timothy White reaffirmed on Wednesday the university’s commitment to fostering a learning community that is “safe and welcoming” for its thousands of students who came to the U.S. illegally.
As the largest public university system in the nation, Cal State’s mission to provide accessibility to higher education and embrace the diversity of its 470,000 students remains unchanged, White said during a Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. Unless forced to by law, he said, Cal State “will not enter into agreements with state or local law enforcement agencies, Homeland Security or any other federal department for the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
“Our police departments will not honor immigration hold requests,” he added. “Our university police do not contact, detain, question or arrest individuals solely on the basis of being … a person that lacks documentation.”
The fear and anger of undocumented students have rippled across the country in the days since Trump won the presidential election. His vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and tough-on-immigration rhetoric have sparked walkouts and protests by thousands of high school and university students across California.
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