Holy Cross President Responds to Recent Executive Orders on Immigration

In light of the recent executive orders issued by President Trump, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College of the Holy Cross, has spoken out in support of all members of the Holy Cross community, especially those directly affected by the executive order on immigration, reaffirming the College’s institutional commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship and research through engagement with faculty and students from across the country and around the world.

“There is no doubt that many [of the executive orders] are in clear opposition to our mission and to our commitments to a preferential option for the impoverished and powerless, and to justice,” Fr. Boroughs wrote in a campus letter coauthored by Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, on Jan. 30.

Before the holidays, Fr. Boroughs joined hundreds of college and university presidents in signing statements/letters in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and undocumented immigrant students.

On campus, the College continues to provide resources and support to individuals in the community who are touched by policies regarding DACA, undocumented persons, or immigration and visa concerns, and to plan programs to help the community learn more about the complexity of these issues.

In their message to the campus community, Fr. Boroughs and Dean Freije wrote, “The College's Mission Statement asks: ‘What are our obligations to one another? What is our special responsibility to the world's poor and powerless?’ The events of this past week invite us to discern how each of us is called, individually and collectively, to live this mission and to ‘make the best of [our] own talents, to work together, to be sensitive to one another, to serve others, and to seek justice within and beyond the Holy Cross community.’”

Read the recent letters to the campus community: