The president of Texas State University says the San Marcos campus will not become a sanctuary campus. The idea was part of a growing statewide movement aimed at protecting undocumented students who are fearful about some of the promises made by incoming President Donald Trump.
The petition asked the university’s President Denise Trauth to "guarantee student privacy by refusing to release information regarding the immigration status of students, staff, and/or university community members."
Texas State Graduate student Ben Weiner authored the petition after hearing undocumented students fears that range from whether they will be allowed to pay in-state tuition rates to the possibility of being deported.
“The fear stems from multiple places, I mean obviously there has been flyers on campus that call for tar and feathering diversity leaders, that call for deportation of illegal immigrants but it’s also from this election cycle," Weiner explains.
Students at the University of Texas at Austin and San Antonio as well as at Texas A&M and at the University of North Texas have asked for similar protections.
But Weiner says hearing their concerns; campus administrators said that Texas State would not become a sanctuary campus.
“They were very clear that they were not going to become a sanctuary campus, that status in the near isn’t going to happen," Weiner says.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Twitter vowed to strip all state funding for any state college campus that establishes a sanctuary status.
Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities. I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status. #tcot https://t.co/2wN4eo1YLG
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 1, 2016
