By Itzel Chavero
President Donald Trump’s promise to start mass deportations immediately, one day after the second inauguration, seems not as far from reality by preparing one of the first operations in Chicago.
On Jan. 21, multiple sources reported that ICE would begin large scale immigration raids targeting sanctuary cities like Chicago.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the raids were expected to start Tuesday morning, just one day after President Trump took office by sending as many as 200 officers.
While Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker stand firmly and reassured the migrant community of Chicago their commitment to being a sanctuary city, it seems like that won’t stop ICE from targeting the city.
Concerns are growing not only amongst the many migrant communities in Chicago, but also undocumented students on campus and those who are citizens but have undocumented family members.
Glena Temple, president of Dominican University, sent out an email on Wednesday, Jan. 22 discussing the university’s commitment to offer legal assistance, mental health services, and a sanctuary campus for students.
“We will protect students’ privacy by continuing to follow FERPA and have well-established protocols to properly manage unannounced visits from law enforcement officials,” Temple said.
Maria Zarco, welcome and information desk supervisor, says student workers are trained on enforcing Dominican’s Front Door Policy.
“We will call campus safety to perform a campus visit verification in those instances,” she explained. “Whether this includes a warrant or not, they are not allowed on campus until this is performed.”
WID, alongside with campus safety, will work together to prioritize student safety on campus as the team will start doing continuous rounds around campus in the case of ICE appears.
As a Catholic and Hispanic Serving Institution, Dominican plans on offering resources and educational initiatives to educate the community about immigration issues as well as encourage students to take care of their mental health.
Amy Omi, assistant director of Justice, Equity, and Inclusion, said the Center for Cultural Liberation will be hosting more office hours to help students process this difficult time.
Beyond campus, the university is also partnering with local and national organizations such as TheDream.US, The President’s Alliance on Immigration, and the Resurrection Project to continue to advocate for their undocumented students.
If students are concerned about managing course work and other issues, especially during such challenging times, please contact Cason Brunt, dean of students.
As the Trump administration rolls in and polices continue to change and develop, Dominican has vouched to keep informing students and update them as well as continuing to offer more opportunities for support.
