UNH president declines a request to make the school a 'sanctuary campus’

University of New Hampshire President Elizabeth Chilton says the school will not declare itself a “sanctuary campus,” as requested by a group of students who said they were worried about an uptick in immigration arrests of students across the country.

A group of students with the UNH Palestinian Solidarity Coalition outlined their concerns to Chilton in a recent letter. They called on the school to do more to protect students against immigration enforcement and to protect students’ freedom of expression.

“UNH’s current protocol fails to provide any meaningful reassurance that UNH will take decisive action to protect its students should their rights be threatened,” the letter read. “The university must move beyond vague, legally cautious statements and instead outline clear, concrete policies that prioritize student safety, due process, and institutional accountability.”

Stephanie Black, an organizer with the UNH Palestinian Solidarity Coalition, says the group has also been taking steps to educate students about their rights, and to build a network of people who can watch out for potential violations of those rights.

Public colleges within the University System of New Hampshire shared initial guidance earlier this year on how to respond to immigration enforcement activities on campus.

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