'Not on our campus': American students stand up against Trump     DATE: 2024-05-29 16:28:58

College students around the country are calling for their universities to become "sanctuary campuses" in an effort to protect their undocumented immigrant peers -- and send a collective message to President-elect Donald Trump.

More than 100 colleges around the country staged walkouts on Wednesday, the New York Postreports, with students urging officials to limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The protests come amid fears of how undocumented college students in the U.S. could be impacted by a Trump presidency, given his inflammatory rhetoric and threats to deport millions of immigrants without legal residency.

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Trump has previously pledged to end "sanctuary cities," or places that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. Mayors of many of the cities have since insisted they'll do everything they can to protect their citizens.

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In Manhattan, hundreds of New York University students walked out of their classrooms and into the streets of the city in protest. They piled into Washington Square Park, chanting and carrying signs showing their alliance with undocumented immigrants.

The protest later evolved into a silent occupation of the university's library, where students stood quietly to capture the attention of the university's leadership.

NYU President Andrew Hamilton released a statement on Tuesday saying undocumented students would continue being offered financial aid and federal funding changes wouldn't affect that.

"As is the case now, undocumented students will be treated exactly as all other students at NYU with regard to housing, privacy and all other matters," Hamilton wrote.

Students at other universities joined in the efforts to stand in solidarity with undocumented students on campus. Some of the campuses include: Columbia University, Swarthmore College, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Brown University, Syracuse University, and Yale University.

Protests calling for sanctuary campuses also unfolded on Tuesday. In California, more than 500 Stanford University students, faculty and staff members walked out of their classes and jobs to protest, SFGate reported.