June 3, 2025 Queens, NY – A new collaboration between St. John's University and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish an immigration enforcement training center has ignited a fierce debate within the university community, pitting academic pursuits against deeply held Catholic and Vincentian values. Announced on May 6, the partnership aims to create the Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies, designed to train homeland security professionals and focus on "intelligence gathering and threats to the homeland."

However, this initiative has been met with significant resistance. As of May 29, a petition demanding the "immediate termination of the partnership" garnered 901 signatures, including those of 93 faculty members across six schools and university libraries. Many signatories chose to remain anonymous, underscoring the sensitivity of the issue.

The Core of the Conflict: Mission vs. Enforcement

The petition, delivered to university President Rev. Brian J. Shanley and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Simon G. Møller on May 28, argues the collaboration poses "grave ethical, legal and cultural concerns — especially in light of St. John's University's Catholic and Vincentian mission to serve poor, immigrant and socially marginalized people."

Signatories contend that CBP has a documented history of "harmful and unlawful enforcement practices" against immigrants and racially profiled communities. They express fears that the presence of CBP agents on campus could endanger non-citizen members of the university community, including students and faculty. "Refugees and migrants are our colleagues, classmates, neighbors, friends and family members. THEY are US, not abstractions or objects for careless academic study," the petition emphatically states.

Concerns also extend to academic freedom and free speech. The petition highlights recent high-profile arrests of international students by immigration officers over political speech, warning that the partnership could undermine these fundamental principles on campus. A perceived lack of transparency surrounding the institute's establishment has further fueled the opposition.

University's Stance: Enhancing Education and Security

St. John's University, a Catholic private college founded in 1870 with a mission aligned with St. Vincent de Paul's dedication to the poor, views the partnership differently. The Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies, housed within the Collins College of Professional Studies, is intended to provide students with "a prestigious industry partnership and provides faculty and students with an academic and professional space to advance knowledge in a critical domain for the security and well-being of the country," according to Luca Iandoli, Dean of the Collins College.

The program will offer students opportunities to work through real-time scenarios with CBP officers, develop internship pipelines, and provide CBP officers access to the university's Homeland Security Lab. Additionally, federal agency professionals will serve as speakers, mentors, and faculty advisers. Keith Cozine, University Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security and an initiator of the partnership, emphasized that "Education is an essential element for future and current CBP officers because it is the unknown problems that CBP officers deal with every day."

St. John's University spokesperson Brian Browne stated via email that discussions for the partnership began under the Biden Administration and continued during the Trump Administration, indicating a bipartisan origin. Browne dismissed claims that the university would deviate from its mission as "illogical and unfounded," asserting that the Memorandum of Understanding is consistent with numerous other partnerships the university pursues to enhance its diverse programs.

The gate sign at the west end of the St. John's University campus, at the southeast corner of Union Turnpike and 170th Street in Hillcrest, Queens. (Wikimedia Commons

Anxious Community and Conflicting Values

For many within the St. John's community, the partnership directly contradicts the university's efforts to uphold Catholic values and its Vincentian commitment to social justice. Raj Chetty, an associate professor in St. John's English department, questioned, "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."

Gary Mongiovi, a professor of economics who helped deliver the petition, noted the heightened anxiety among non-citizen members of the community, particularly in light of recent immigration policies. "We have students who are immigrants. We have faculty who are immigrants. … I am sure that since Donald Trump got elected, they have been feeling a little bit anxious, and the announcement of this partnership can only be adding to their anxiety," he stated.

Afaf Nasher, a St. John's alumna and head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' New York chapter, voiced concerns that the collaboration would teach students to perpetuate CBP methods. "CBP is directly responsible for the separation of families. It devastates lives, and St John's University purports to always stand on the side of those that are marginalized," Nasher said. "Now St John's is going to be an institution which serves and even teaches people to take these actions."

The unfolding situation at St. John's University highlights the complex challenges faced by academic institutions navigating partnerships with federal agencies, particularly those involved in sensitive areas like immigration enforcement, and the ongoing tension between security objectives and core institutional values.