DuPage GOP chair Kevin Coyne: College of DuPage immigration policies are 'simply outrageous’
Kevin Coyne, Chair of the DuPage County Republican Party, says guidance offered on the College of DuPage (COD) website's "Undocumented students resources" page is "simply outrageous."
Among the guidance is a "Frequently asked questions" section, where one of the questions reads: "Can a student be disciplined for calling immigration on another student?"
"Yes, calling immigration authorities on another student could violate the COD Student Code of Conduct if the action is done with the intent to harass, discriminate, or retaliate against the other student," the answer, provided by the college, reads.
The guidance also states that campus police will not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“It’s simply outrageous and represents another example of colleges and universities overstepping by imposing their politics on students,” Coyne told the DuPage Policy Journal. “Educators should remain neutral when it comes to politics. They should not be pushing their own agendas.”
He added that students attend COD to learn, not to be exposed to faculty political viewpoints.
“You spend money to send your kid to get an education and a trade, and to better themselves, not to have somebody else’s political agenda shoved down their throat,” he said.
Coyne said he believes the issue stems from campus culture.
“I think many of these educators just live in a bubble where that’s just acceptable and it shouldn’t be,” he said.
“Will COD Police help ICE officers to apprehend and remove individuals from campus?” the webpage reads. “No, Illinois law prohibits COD Police from assisting federal agents in immigration enforcement. COD Police do not ask about immigration status, nor will they make arrests based solely on immigration status.”
The guidance drew attention after the social media account Libs of TikTok posted it on X.
“Illinois college promises to punish students who report illegal aliens,” the account posted. “Unreal.”
“They’re clearly protecting a large illegal alien population who are probably getting tuition subsidized by our tax dollars,” the account said.
In a column published by Townhall, commentator Amy Curtis wrote that she believes the college’s policies may conflict with federal law.
“This seems like a straight-up violation of the First Amendment and obstruction of federal laws,” Curtis wrote. “The College of DuPage in Illinois is warning students that they will be punished if they report illegal alien students to authorities.”
Curtis suggested that the U.S. Department of Education review COD’s federal funding.
“Blocking the school from receiving federal financial aid and tax dollars would be a great punishment for this blatant abuse,” she wrote.
COD’s fiscal 2025 budget lists $24.96 million in federal institutional revenue, or 8.1% of the total budget. Local property taxes are projected to provide $104.6 million, or 34% of the budget.
“That's true and it makes it all the worse,” Coyne said regarding property tax contributions to the college.
The college’s annual budget increased from $182.3 million in 2023 to $309.7 million in 2025.
The new guidance comes amid Operation Midway Blitz, a Department of Homeland Security and ICE initiative launched in late August that has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests of individuals living in the region, according to federal authorities.
In late October, the COD Faculty Association reportedly co-sponsored the “No Kings” anti-ICE protest. The association joined several activist groups in DuPage County and Chicago to promote the event.
“It's bad enough that they're doing it in the first place, but they're making other people push their own politics onto not just our kids but the community as a whole,” Coyne said. “It's a complete overstep.”