President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday, Feb. 27, that significantly limits immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, and put forward a plan to build a wall on the United States-Mexico border. Both actions received praise and backlash across the nation, with Marquette’s campus being no exception.
Members of the campus group Jesuit University Students Together In Concerned Empowerment were in the AMU Monday advocating for awareness about the recent actions taken by the Trump administration to restrict immigrant access to the U.S.
Lauren Rimmel, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, was one of the many volunteers who worked the table.
“At the end of the day these are issues that are about compassion and life,” she said. “When you are talking about these policies, about building a wall, about blocking refugees, you’re infringing on that humanity that we all share.”
The table was handed out safety pins for students to wear as a sign of solidarity. The volunteers handed out information sheets to students who stopped to grab a safety pin and fill out an email sheet to receive more information in the future.
“What we’re doing here is encouraging and empowering students to contact their representatives. People feel strongly about this, and we’re giving them the tools to put their values into action,” Gina DiVittorio, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said about the information sheets.
The sheets provided contact information for Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Ron Johnson with phone numbers, a script and suggested phone call structure.
“Everyone’s life matters, not just people in America,” Alexis King, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, said. “It’s everyone in the world.”
King was one of many students who stopped at the table. Some students sat down to immediately call their public officials.
Rimmel said JUSTICE hopes to equip students with the necessary tools to make their feelings heard. “A lot of times, students are a little apathetic, and they’ll just walk past us, and at this point we’re really encouraging that active citizenship,” she said. “We’re giving them easy and accessible information, and giving them the hope and empowerment to do something and show that their voice does really matter.”
Information on how to contact those representatives can also be found on their respective websites. Contact information for all U.S senators can be found at contactsenators.com.
