Office of the Assemblies

Dear Logan,

 

Thank you for submitting University Assembly Resolution 19, “Calling on Cornell to Establish Itself as a Sanctuary Campus,” for my consideration. Cornell strives to support its undocumented students, faculty, and staff, both through our statements and our actions, and our policies closely reflect those of the sanctuary campuses described in the resolution.

 

Cornell is a global university. More than 20% of our students are from countries outside the United States, and the university offers programs and pursues scholarship throughout the world. We are committed to our diverse community, and Cornell leaders will continue to advocate for the societal importance of fair and open immigration policies.

 

As affirmed in a 2017 joint statement in support of DACA students, information on students’ legal-resident status is protected by federal student-privacy laws and is not shared with agencies or law-enforcement officials in the absence of a legal requirement such as a judicial warrant. Cornell will continue to protect the privacy of student information and records from any unauthorized or unlawful intrusion. Although Cornell representatives, including the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), will comply with lawfully issued subpoenas and warrants, it is neither the university’s practice nor its expectation to function as an agent of the federal government regarding enforcement of federal immigration laws, and CUPD will not honor a civil immigration detainer request from a federal agent unless accompanied by a judicial warrant except in the narrow circumstances delineated in Tompkins County Resolution 2017-21. Neither will CUPD seek immigration status information of any individual in the course of its law enforcement activities unless necessary to investigate criminal activity by that individual or required by law. (They are required, however, to ask the citizenship of arrested individuals.)

 

Clinical faculty at the Cornell Law School provide, without charge, confidential legal assistance to undocumented students, including DACA students. For assistance with DACA-related legal matters, students can contact Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer, assistant clinical professor of law, Cornell Law School: jak533@cornell.edu. Many other student resources are detailed on the Office of Student and Campus Life’s website.

 

Designating Cornell as a “sanctuary campus” would, in my opinion, not add meaningful substance to our ongoing commitment to supporting our undocumented students, faculty, and staff. For this reason, I must reject this resolution.

 

Thank you again for submitting the resolution and for expressing sincere support for undocumented Cornellians.

 

Sincerely,

 

Martha E. Pollack

 

Martha E. Pollack

President, Cornell University

300 Day Hall

Ithaca, NY  14853