Faculty, students and alumni demand St. John’s University end partnership with Border Protection
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A group of professors, students and alumni called on St. John’s University to end a partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in a petition this week. File photo by zeuscgp/Wikimedia Commons
By Noah Powelson
Faculty and students of St. John’s University are demanding the end of a partnership program between the university and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, citing privacy and safety concerns.
A petition delivered to university leadership on Tuesday calls on the university to terminate the Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies, a new program which was announced by the university earlier this month. According to the university, the institute would provide a training program for CBP employees and act as a professional development opportunity for students.
On April 30, 2025, St. John’s and CBP signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to collaborate on a training program for students, faculty and CBP employees. Part of the partnership is the creation of the Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies, which will be housed at The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies on campus.
Petition organizers say that as reports of federal raids in private and public universities across the country make headlines, partnering with border patrol creates ethical and safety concerns.
The petition has over 800 signatures, which includes 75 faculty from the university’s colleges and law school, according to the petition organizers.
“We recognize the importance of research and education in fields related to national security,” the petition reads. “However, this partnership with CBP presents 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.”
The petition also said such a partnership exacerbates fears around privacy and surveillance on campus and erodes trust between the university and the local community of Jamaica.
In addition to ending the partnership, the petitioners demanded the university disclose the full MOU with CBP, form an independent oversight committee to monitor St. John’s cooperation with federal immigration agencies and implement data protection measures.
St. John’s University has offered bachelors and master’s degrees in cybersecurity systems and homeland security programs for years, and even offers a doctoral degree in homeland security.
A spokesperson for St. John’s said the partnership is meant to provide students and faculty with training and networking opportunities in the fields of homeland security. They also said the partnership and Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies is one of many such agreements the university makes with outside organizations.
“The Homeland Security undergraduate and graduate programs at St. John's offer solution-oriented approaches, exploring essential partnerships and providing a deep understanding of the complex issues in the homeland security field. The MOU between Customs & Border Patrol and St. John's aims to do that for our students," Brian Browne, SJU’s spokesperson said in a statement. "St. John's University students will have access to the varied professional resources of CBP's New York Field Office, internships, intelligence experts to serve as guest speakers, student mentors, and advisers to assist faculty.”
“This MOU is no different than countless others that St. John's pursues with public, private, and non-profit organizations to enhance the 200 diverse programs of study offered by the University," the spokesperson added.
