A group of students at Rice University is urging the administration to declare the campus a sanctuary for immigrant students. The petition, which has gathered over 400 signatures as of March 4, calls for Rice to protect international and undocumented students by refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. The movement is led by the Rice chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), with support from campus organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Planned Parenthood Generation, and Rice Urbanists.
The petition demands that Rice publicly declare itself a sanctuary for undocumented students, workers, and affiliates, and commit to not working with state and federal immigration agents without a judicial warrant. This would include barring immigration agents from entering Rice’s private campus without proper authorization.
Conner Schultz, a co-chair of Rice YDSA and a primary author of the petition, explained that he began researching sanctuary campuses in January. The movement gained traction in 2016 after President Donald Trump’s election, with universities like the University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M considering or adopting sanctuary policies. Schultz sees the need for such policies now, citing rising anti-immigration rhetoric under President Trump’s return to office and the Department of Homeland Security’s stance that schools are no longer immune to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
While federal immigration agents are allowed on campus with a judicial warrant, they need Rice’s permission to enter with an administrative warrant, which is less powerful than a judicial one. Schultz expressed concerns that the university administration might allow immigration agents onto campus with an administrative warrant, especially after discussions with campus officials. During a Zoom call with faculty, Rice University Police Department (RUPD) Chief Clemente Rodriguez and General Counsel Omar Syed confirmed that the university would cooperate with ICE and FBI if they had an administrative warrant.
University officials and RUPD declined to comment on the matter.
The petition also seeks to ensure the privacy of international students and staff by preventing the disclosure of their immigration status to immigration authorities. It demands that Rice provide legal and educational support to students facing arrest, detention, or deportation.
“I don’t believe the administration has bad intentions,” Schultz said. “But I fear they’ll cave under pressure from ICE. Our state and federal governments are hostile to immigration, and that’s a real concern.”
Schultz views the sanctuary campus initiative as an important policy move to show Rice’s commitment to protecting its students. He hopes to gather 1,500 signatures by March to present the petition to university officials. He is also working on a resolution for the Student Association.
Sammi Frey, co-president of Rice Young Democrats (RYD), encouraged students to remain vigilant about immigration enforcement in the Houston area. However, RYD did not co-sign the petition, and Frey did not provide a reason for this decision.
In an email to The Thresher, Frey highlighted the disparity between the protection Rice’s campus provides and the reality of ICE activities nearby, referencing a recent ICE raid in Colony Ridge, where over 100 people were arrested. “The feeling of protection that Rice’s gates provide to many of us is a privilege,” Frey wrote. “We must not ignore the silence around ICE’s actions just outside our campus.”
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