Dear President Weissman, administrators, faculty, friends, colleagues and family.

As of today, we are experiencing difficult times and we acknowledge, for the most part, that thanks to an insensible Trump presidency, immigrants have become perhaps the most vulnerable sub-group of the American society. This letter is meant to support the proposal that asks Dickinson College administrators to declare our campus a sanctuary institution.
President Trump has promised to review, if not eliminate, Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that protects students from deportation and allows them to work and study in the United States without the fear of removal by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or deportation orders via trials by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Many have argued that President Trump’s deportation plans are logistically impossible, but as we have seen the past days, the “refugee ban” has already created firm fears among temporary and permanent citizens of this country. I would like to remind you that during Obama’s presidency, over two and a half million immigrants were deported and as a foreign citizen my judgment leads to a fear of a possible increase of deportation under this presidency. As an immigrant student of this institution, and I believe I can speak on behalf of many of my peers, and we kindly ask Dickinson College to help create a safe environment and keep its promise for inclusivity regardless of immigration status. A sanctuary campus will help prevent the possibility of searches, surveillances or even arrests driven by immigration status. The Dickinson foreign community admires the support of fellow Dickinsonians and highly appreciates the sensitivity shown throughout these uncertain days.

Dickinsonians concerned on this matter have paid attention to the threat posed by Congress which implicates the cancellation of federal funds to sanctuary institutions (Hunter bill) and unfortunately, the Federation for American Immigration Reform has supported this bill.
However, as Dickinsonians, we all shall commit to the searching of funds that could recover a possible cut of federal funds.
As days go by, fear is rising not only for illegal aliens but also for those who are temporarily documented and fear the implementation of a law that could lead to the removal of statuses that may vary from types of visas to countries of origin (as experienced with the “refugee ban”) or asylee/refugee status. Were Dickinson College to become a sanctuary institution by mirroring the policies of sanctuary cities, it would further meet the values and morals its members promote.
This letter is not meant to be political but to seek further support not only by fellow students but also from those (faculty and staff) who are “forced” to stand silently due to political correctness or fear of possible repercussions. Those I know often hear me repeat that we all come from somewhere and what makes people Americans is the belief and the sharing of values that have led this country to become a powerful state; a sharing of values and morals where we value our neighbors, where we’re sensible to the other and we give a hand regardless of the need.

The color of our skin, the accent we have, the clothes we wear, the money we have, the gender we identify with do not determine our Americanism.
A degree is one of the major keys to pursue our American Dream, it is the key that will open the door to a world of infinite opportunities, it is a key that belongs to every hard worker, it is the key to the ultimate success.

Sincerely,

David Dejvi Ndreca