Due to executive orders from President Donald Trump, there has been unprecedented policy on mass deportation, closing of borders, and stripping of the natural and political rights of immigrants in the United States. We understand this to be a pressing national and local issue, especially with Mercer’s significant population of students, staff, and faculty that are actively being affected by these changes in policies due to being international students/employees, being undocumented, and/or having undocumented family, friends, and loved ones. The increased power of I.C.E. and Border Patrol has already begun propagating a culture of fear and hatred on this campus, and students are living in fear of their rights and lives being violated.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, urged the leadership and administration of Mercer University to release a statement on behalf of our affected student population that outlines how exactly the university will seek to protect the rights and lives of our student, faculty, and staff that are immigrants and come from immigrants.