“Isn’t This a Catholic University?”: Outcry at St. John’s Over Border Patrol Partnership

Tensions are rising at St. John’s University after faculty members delivered a petition with 843 signatures to President Rev. Brian J. Shanley and Provost Simon Møller, opposing a proposed partnership with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The partnership would establish a new Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies within the university’s Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies.

The petition, backed by faculty, students, alumni, and community members, denounces the collaboration as a betrayal of the university’s Catholic and Vincentian mission to support immigrants, the poor, and marginalized populations.

Among the 843 signatories are 83 current faculty from across the university’s colleges and its law school.

“What does collaboration with border patrol say about our values? Especially with the Catholic Church electing Pope Leo. This pope and the late Pope Francis have both challenged anti-migrant cultures. Isn’t this a Catholic university?” asked Dr. Raj Chetty, Associate Professor in the Department of English.

The partnership was announced by the administration on May 6—just days before commencement—without consultation from students, faculty, or the surrounding Jamaica, Queens community. Critics argue that the initiative directly conflicts with the university’s stated mission and puts vulnerable populations at greater risk.

Opponents cite troubling statistics: in March 2025 alone, CBP arrested over 20,000 people—representing 42% of all detainees in ICE facilities—and ICE has confirmed nine deaths in custody this year.

In addition, the American Civil Liberties Union has warned that CBP’s extended authority to search and seize within 100 miles of the U.S. border renders New York City a “Constitution-Free Zone,” raising serious concerns about civil liberties on and around campus.

A law student speaking out against the plan said, “It is ironic and grossly unjust that while St. John’s School of Law’s Refugee and Immigrant Rights Litigation Clinic has lost nearly all funding, St. John’s has instead planned to create and fund an entirely new program that bolsters heightened abuse and persecution of the very same immigrants and refugees we had vowed to protect.”

The university community now awaits a formal response from the Board of Trustees and Senior Management Group as pressure mounts for leadership to reconsider the controversial partnership.