nothin 400 Rally For A “Sanctuary Campus” | New Haven Independent

400 Rally For A Sanctuary Campus”

Paul Bass Photo

Divinity student Dax Crocker addresses the Yale rally.

An undocumented immigrant stepped out of the shadows Wednesday afternoon and on top of the Maya Lin Women’s Table” sculpture to urge a crowd of supporters to make Yale one of many sanctuary campuses” across the country.

Valdez.

I am one of the 11 million undocumented people in this country,” Ramon Valdez, a first-year political science graduate student, told 400 attendees at a post-election rally on Yale’s Cross Campus calling for opposition to President-Elect Donald Trump’s stated plans to deport millions of immigrants and possibly punish the sanctuary cities” like New Haven that protect them from the federal government. I am unafraid. And I am unapologetic about it.”

Valdez came to the U.S. from Mexico with his parents when he was 15. His mother still lives in the country. We are not going to bend down to the words of one man,” Valdez vowed.

Once Trump takes office, Valdez warned, he’s coming after sanctuary cities. He’s coming after sanctuary campuses. Unless people like you say, No, that’s not who we are.’”

Students roared their support for Valdez and other undocumented people in New Haven. The students walked out of classes for the 3 p.m. rally, one of 80 “#SanctuaryCampus” rallies planned nationwide Wednesday.

The Yale students called for Yale to refuse to share information with federal immigration officials or allow them access to campus; to instruct campus security not to inquire about people’s immigration status or participate in federal immigration enforcement; and not to use e‑verify” to check employees’ status.

We’re reviewing our options,” Yale spokeswoman Eileen O’Connor responded when asked later about the demands. We also recognize we are part of New Haven, which is a sanctuary city.” (Mayor Toni Harp this week affirmed that New Haven will continue its policies of giving all New Haveners, including undocumented immigrants, resident ID cards and of instructing cops not to inquire about people’s immigration status or detain people who may appear on federal immigration detention lists.)

Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen, Jr., heralded the city’s continued sanctuary” commitment in remarks to Wednesday’s rally.

Immigrant-rights organizer John Lugo of the group Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) urged the Yalies to leave campus and work with activists in Fair Haven to protect immigrants from deportation. He spoke of how the feds swept through Fair Haven in 2007 just after New Haven approved the ID card plan and rounded up 32 undocumented people. We fought back — and we brought those people back to the community,” Lugo recalled.

Junta for Progressive Action is one of the groups that have advocated for immigrants’ rights in the neighborhood. Juancarlos Soto, the agency’s youth coordinator, also urged the crowd to step outside of thee walls … and come to the Fair Haven community to fight with us.”

The crowd was also urged to text SANCTUARY” to the number 662266 to join the nationwide sanctuary campus movement.

Yale also issued this official statement in reference to the sanctuary campus demands: Yale University takes seriously the concerns being expressed in our community about potential changes related to our country’s immigration laws. Our primary objective is the safety and well-being of our students, including our many international students, and we are taking a series of steps to address their concerns and provide them with advice and support resources. In addition, a working group of faculty experts, students, and university administrators is being convened to analyze the many complex legal issues and explore possible responses. We have already begun working with local, state and federal officials to address these important policy issues, and we will be monitoring the upcoming changes closely. We will be engaging policy makers in order to assure that all Yale students can complete their degrees and go on to be successful and valued contributors to the nation and the world.”

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to deport all 11 million undocumented in the country and to withdraw federal funds from sanctuary cities. Since his election he has said he would seek to deport three million criminals” and praised the other undocumented people here.

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