Dear faculty, staff and students,
For decades, CU Denver has been a place that welcomes faculty, staff and
students of diverse backgrounds. It’s the richness of our diversity that
defines this institution and makes it an extraordinary place.
Last week, President Trump signed three executive orders that deal with issues
of immigration and the ability of non-U.S. citizens to enter the United States.
There is a great deal of confusion about the scope and effect of the executive
orders.
I personally and we as a community start from a common perspective, which is
that we are stronger when our classrooms and workplaces include students,
faculty, researchers and staff who bring perspective and experience from across
the world. Appropriate vetting processes have brought CU Denver international students
and faculty from all countries and diverse faiths, and we are confident that
the processes can be administered in a way that continues this tradition. CU
Denver welcomes students, faculty and staff of all national origins, religious
beliefs, races and all other identities in our community, and we will not
tolerate any discrimination or harassment against any member of that community.
We have been communicating with our faculty, students and staff who are, or
could potentially be, impacted by the executive orders. We also are monitoring
potential changes to immigration laws, policies and practices that could affect
the status and safety of members of our CU Denver family, particularly
international students and those who may be undocumented. Here are some of the
things that we currently know.
One of the orders places a 90-day ban on the entry of visitors from the
following countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. We do
not believe that the orders reach students or employees currently within the
United States on a valid visa, including those from these countries. They have
a lawful presence in the United States, and nothing within the executive order
rescinds the visas.
CU Denver continues to welcome all students and workers from other countries
who are legally here with visas. We currently have 1,500 international
students overall, and 58 students from these seven countries. In the last
several weeks, our Office of International Affairs has held several “information
and discussion” sessions for international students and a local immigration
attorney has been available as a resource. We are advising these
individuals to contact the university's International
Student and Scholar Services Office before travelling outside the U.S. in
the immediate future and will continue to monitor the situation and update them
as possible.
Another of the orders requires the federal government to take actions to ensure
"the detention of aliens apprehended for violations of immigration law
pending the outcome of their removal proceedings or their removal from the
country to the extent permitted by law.” While the scope of this order is not
well-defined, the order does not repeal DACA status and it does not prioritize
immigration enforcement against DACA recipients. Because an applicant cannot
receive DACA status if he or she has a significant criminal history, the order
has focused on aliens who have engaged in criminal activity and who represent a
threat to national security. DACA recipients remain welcome to study at CU
Denver, and the executive order does not rescind DACA work authorizations.
CU Denver supports our undocumented students, including those attending under
the DACA and ASSET programs, and earlier this month signed a public
letter of support for the DACA program. We will continue to admit students
consistent with nondiscrimination policies and Colorado’s ASSET law, as tuition
eligibility is not determined at the federal level.
In addition, we maintain our commitment to the privacy of student records and
will not provide them to anyone except when required by law. While we cannot
prohibit federal immigration officials from entering public spaces on campus,
federal regulations do not normally allow immigration officials access to
non-public campus places, such as offices and student housing, without first
having obtained judicial approval, and nothing in the executive orders alters
that requirement. As for our own police practices, university police do not
inquire into immigration status or enforce immigration law. Their highest
responsibility is to lawfully protect the safety of our campus community, which
includes international students and those currently enrolled under the DACA and
ASSET programs.
We encourage university community members who are impacted by these executive
orders to seek information and counsel from International Student and Scholar
Services at 303-315-2230 (press “0”) or ISSS@ucdenver.edu. We will
continue to monitor these national discussions and will keep the university
community informed of important developments as they unfold. We are and will
remain unwaveringly committed to providing educational opportunities to
students and recruiting faculty and staff without regard to nationality, place
of birth or religious beliefs. We stand ready to provide them support and
assistance.
Thank you for making CU Denver an open and welcoming learning community.
Dorothy Horrell
Chancellor