Supporting undocumented students

November 30, 2016

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President Stephen Sundborg, S.J., joined with the leaders of the other 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States in signing a statement in support of undocumented students.

The presidents pledged to continue working to: "protect to the fullest extent of the law undocumented students on our campuses; promote retention of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA); support and stand with our students, faculty and staff regardless of their faith traditions; (and) preserve the religious freedoms on which our nation was founded."

The statement followed a letter President Sundborg, S.J., wrote to the campus community on Nov. 21, in which he affirmed that "As a Jesuit Catholic university, we are deeply committed to the dignity and equality of every individual, to the common good and to developing leaders for a just and humane world. We also recognize how central a safe, inclusive and welcoming community is to educational excellence and the success of students. And we are deeply committed to fostering respectful and constructive dialogue, which is essential to a thriving institution of higher learning and the welfare of all students, faculty and staff."

Long a supporter of undocumented students, Father Sundborg wrote an op-ed, "Our DREAM Students," which appeared in the LA Times in November 2010.