President Brown addressed the BU community Monday afternoon on potential changes in the university’s federal immigration policies.
In an email sent to the BU community, Brown acknowledged the recent “sanctuary campus” petition, supported by BU Student Government, which asked BU to prohibit federal agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection from entering campus. Brown wrote that this is not a request the university could fulfill.
“This is not a promise we can make, as the University must obey the applicable state and federal laws,” Brown wrote. “I can, however, assure you that the Boston University Police Department does not currently play any role in the enforcement of such laws and will not voluntarily assist the federal government in immigration enforcement.”
Brown noted that the purpose of his email was to provide information about the university’s policies regarding undocumented students, and to ensure students that they can feel safe and welcome at BU.
Some of the petition’s requests, such as asking BU to refuse voluntary information sharing with the ICE and CBP, has already been the university’s policy, Brown wrote.
“It is our long-standing practice that we do not solicit or record information about the immigration status of our students,” he wrote. “To date, we have not been asked by any public authorities to provide information about students who might be undocumented. And, going forward, we will not share information about such students unless we are specifically required to do so because of a duly issued warrant or subpoena.”
BU spokesperson Colin Riley said many university administrators around the country have sent out emails addressing similar concerns.
“Brown, like many other college and university presidents, felt it was important to address what current protections students have,” Riley said.
Riley said Brown’s email is meant to remind students of BU’s founding principles of inclusiveness.
“It really is something that harkens back to the founding principles of Boston University being open to all races, religions and backgrounds, men and women,” Riley said. “He’s just formalizing his position with this statement.”
