Students and Faculty at St. John’s University Oppose Partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Students and Faculty at St. John’s University Oppose Partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The school has partnered with the agency to create a new related study program. Opponents say it puts people at risk. Of Course.

Gothamist reports:

St. John’s students, faculty oppose university agreement with Customs and Border Protection

Students, faculty and alumni of St. John’s University are calling for an end to the university’s partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York field office, claiming it places members of the campus community at risk and violates long-standing tenets espoused by the Catholic institution.

The Queens-based university announced the plans last week. It will create an Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies that school administrators said would nurture “the next generation of homeland security professionals.” But a petition signed by 935 people as of Thursday called for the “immediate termination” of the partnership, arguing that Customs and Border Protection “has a well-documented record of harmful and unlawful enforcement practices against immigrants and racially profiled communities.”

Raj Chetty, an associate English professor at St. John’s who signed the petition, said the announcement of the institute came just as classes broke for the summer, catching much of the campus community off guard. He said opponents were especially concerned by the timing of the announcement, when federal immigration officers “are conducting raids and disappearing people without due process.”

“We want this partnership to end before it starts,” Chetty said.

University officials said students will have direct access to the CBP field office and that the institute’s offerings would benefit students professionally. The school said it signed a memorandum of understanding in April with CBP officials, including Frank Russo, a St. John’s alum and the director of field operations at the agency’s New York field office.

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