The United States Department of Justice requested an investigation into UndocuPack on Sept. 26, claiming that the University of Nevada, Reno was using taxpayer money to support “illegal aliens.”
An email sent shortly thereafter by UNR President Brian Sandoval to students and staff explicitly states, “The UndocuPack Program is available to all University students. No federal funding is used for the program.”
The email cited Nevada state law and NSHE enrollment guidelines UNR is in compliance with as rebuttals to legal concerns raised by the DOJ’s letter, insisting that the university has always followed the law.
“In addition, we have made good, and will continue to make good on our commitment in ensuring a respectful, supportive, and welcoming environment on our campus where all our students have access to the tools they need for success,” the email reads, seemingly taking a supportive stance with the UndocuPack program.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, which works to safeguard individual rights according to the U.S. Constitution and laws of the United States, commented on the DOJ’s letter. Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, said, “If the moment calls for it, we’re happy to deal with the Department of Justice and the Department of Education in federal court,” when speaking to News 4 in an article published on Oct. 1.
Haseebullah said the DOJ is likely to perform “another sham investigation like they do all the time.”
The DOJ under the Trump administration has launched multiple investigations that critics say are politically motivated, including examining previous pardons and executive actions issued by former President Joe Biden during his term and moving to target the administration’s political enemies.
The Department of Education has itself launched investigations into at least 52 universities nationwide for involvement with diversity, equity and inclusion programs, reflecting Trump’s promises to crack down on DEI initiatives.
In an interview with The Nevada Sagebrush, Haseebullah said, “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” referring to how the current administration is dealing with immigration. “Regardless of whether it was a Republican or a Democrat that was in charge in the past, and even during the first Trump administration, I don’t remember it being this chaotic.”
The ACLU of Nevada has filed “the most amount of lawsuits against state and local agencies dealing with immigration enforcement,” according to Haseebullah. They have also conducted around five dozen “Know Your Rights” training sessions focusing on immigrant rights that are open to the public.
Haseebullah noted another resource, saying, “We have a [ACLU] chapter on UNR’s campus. We encourage students to get involved with that … there’s a lot of efforts that are underway statewide, and it’s important for people who don’t know how to participate to plug into those efforts.”
The ACLU of Nevada does not stand alone in its support of the program. Several students interviewed by The Nevada Sagebrush expressed support for UndocuPack.
Angeline Rios, an undergraduate student studying neuroscience, said, “I feel like more students should have information [about] resources no matter what their immigration status might be.” Rios continued: “If they’re a student at the university and they’re wanting to pursue an education, they should have the resources in order to pursue that.”
Another student, Noah Pickens, studying nursing, shared how he felt after reading the letter.
“I laughed because I thought it was kind of a little bit ridiculous,” he said, explaining that he believed any financial information regarding public funding was public record, as UNR is a public institution.
In regard to Sandoval’s email to the student body about the DOJ’s allegations against UndocuPack, Pickens said, “I was actually very pleased with how the school handled it, that they let the school know and the student body know what’s happening.”
Ruby Renteria, an undergraduate psychology student, hadn’t heard much about the UndocuPack program nor what the DOJ was investigating. However, she said, “There’s not a lot of support for undocumented people… so I feel like if they have some guidance, it’s helpful towards them.”
There have been no updates on the status of the investigation since Sandoval’s email to the student body, potentially due to the current government shutdown.
Malory Shaw can be reached via email at malorynshaw@gmail.com.
For tips, complaints and corrections, please contact News Editor Riley Overstreet via email at roverstreet@unr.edu.
