Immigration
UChicago claims to support undocumented students, but it refuses to listen to the undocumented community’s demands and fully support their needs. University administrators ignored students’ calls for UChicago to adopt a “Sanctuary Campus” status to protect members of our community from deportation. While an Immigration Working Group exists in name, this group operates without transparency and has not taken any tangible steps towards meeting the demands of undocumented students.
UChicago also perpetuates harm against undocumented communities across the country by funneling students into companies that provide tech to ICE such as Palantir. Last year, UChicago Career Advancement continued to promote summer internships with Palantir. For more information about tech companies’ ties to ICE, visit https://notechforice.com/ .
Zain Jamshaid’s story is another example of the University failing to support its noncitizen students. After Zain reported that he was assaulted several times by a faculty member, the University retaliated against him by placing him on academic probation. The University terminated Zain from his PhD program, which caused him to lose his student visa and forced him to apply for asylum to legally remain in the United States.
UChicago student organizers have fought to make the UChicago campus a safe place for all community members, regardless of immigration status. From 2020 to 2022, the UChicago Without Borders (UWB) campaign united various campus groups around this
goal. While the UWB campaign has been inactive for the past few years, it succeeded in pressuring the University to improve and expand resources for students impacted by immigration status. If you are interested in organizing around immigration-related issues, please reach out to the Dis-O team! We would love to support you in any way we can.
For more information about campus and off-campus resources for undocumented or DACA students, visit inclusion.uchicago.edu or contact Student Support Services at studentsupport@uchicago.edu.
Resources:
In the past few months, Chicago has seen an influx of migrants, in part due to the global inequality that is perpetuated by UChicago’s imperialism (for more information about UC’s global imperialism, check out the Dis-O website at the QR code on this page). Our new neighbors face a lack of resources and xenophobia from politicians. If you are interested in helping support recent migrants, here are some ways to get involved:
The Neighborhood Schools Program pairs UChicago students with local schools to provide tutoring and other support. You can assist new arrival students by volunteering to help with homework or provide translation services.
Volunteer with the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at UChicago Law, which provides legal aid to migrants in Hyde Park.
