According to Buffalo News, SUNY University in Buffalo, New York, in the US, has evicted 44 migrants from their dormitories after parents raised concerns about the safety of their students.
The university leadership made the quick decision as two migrants were accused of two counts of sexual assault. This worried the parents of the students.
The school previously had an arrangement with the Jericho Road Community Health Center to house migrants in dormitories from May to August as local shelters fill up. The agreement provided for housing the migrants to be allowed until February.
In a statement, the university’s acting president, Bonita R. Durand, never mentioned the two alleged sexual assaults.
“As we welcome our students back to campus on Tuesday, we wanted to ensure the best possible learning environment for our students and the smooth running of our academic operations,” said Bonita R. Durand.
“I have made the difficult decision to revoke the revocable permit and I want to reassure our university community that when our students return to campus on Tuesday, they will find their learning and living environment just as they have come to expect,” she added added.
Of the 44 asylum seekers affected by the decision, 32 are from Africa, including Congo and Nigeria. The others come mainly from Colombia, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Prejudices
The founder of the Jericho Road community center, which bears his name, lamented the university’s decision, which he described as “discriminatory”.
“We live in a community where there is prejudice,” he said. I have an obligation to denounce this discriminatory decision. Asylum seekers are people like you and me.”
For her part, a migrant from Sudan stressed that the university’s decision jeopardized her future.
“We don’t know where we’re going,” said Josephine Amuna Loki. It’s so stressful! I’m afraid we’ll end up on the street.”