It was recently announced that the Ole Miss Associated Student Body’s Committee for Inclusion had drafted a resolution that would make Ole Miss a formal “Sanctuary City” for illegal immigrants. The resolution was to have been voted on tonight.
However, in a comment by Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel (R), the support for the resolution has been pulled, according to him, due to “actions taken by thousands of Mississippians.”
A Sanctuary City is designed to protect undocumented immigrants by following certain procedures that work to shelter illegal immigrants.
The resolution has sparked debate across the state, but that is not the reason the vote is being delayed, according to the Faculty Senate Chair Brice Noonan, who also made it clear that the Faculty Senate had no involvement in the drafting of this legislation.
(Note: In order for a resolution to be implemented it must pass through the Faculty Senate after going through ASB.)
“My understanding is that the proper procedure was not followed by the resolution’s author in presenting it to ASB,” Noonan said.
The resolution includes the demand to restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other border patrol agencies from “all land owned or controlled by the university” and calls for the “use of institutional funds and scholarships to fill any gap created by discriminatory laws that exclude immigrant students from paying in-state rate.” The demands don’t stop there, as one paragraph states that online options be made available in the case of imprisonment.
“In the event of arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, or due to student reluctance to travel or appear on campus, UM ought to have in place arrangements for online continuation of students’ degree programs,” the resolution reads.
The resolution urged this be passed and implemented “Before the President-Elect is sworn into office” due to Trump’s border patrol policies.
While it appears no vote will take place tonight, the matter can be revisited by ASB at a later date. Senator McDaniel noted that if this resolution does pass at any time, it will be up to legislature to take action.
“As an initial matter, illegal aliens should not be receiving public benefits. Moreover, the practices of sanctuary jurisdictions violate federal law,” McDaniel’s Facebook post reads “If the university administration implements the proposal, then the legislature must take immediate action.”
To read the ASB Resolution in full, click here.
HottyToddy.com has reached out to ASB for a comment and will update the story as we receive more information.
Steven Gagliano is a writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com.
Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…
