Livingstone’s message is reassuring that the university is on the side of undocumented students, and a good starting point, Lysen said.

“I am sad that we’ve reduced ourselves to taking back from these students the tenuous status they had found in their own home society, that there is so little we have seemed able to offer them at Baylor so far, that I don’t even know how these students themselves are hearing this statement and all of this news, when they are the ones who matter here,” she said.

Livingstone’s statement also includes links for individuals to find and contact their elected officials, which speaks volumes, said Hope Mustakim, a Waco Immigrants Alliance volunteer and community organizer.

“We need people to realize the power of their voice collectively,” Mustakim said. “You may think you’re one person calling but when 10 students call and then 20 students call, it can make a difference.”

Though some immigrant advocates said they appreciate the general message, Father Nicholas Krause, assisting priest at Christ Church Waco, said Livingstone’s statement lacks specificity on key policies.