The president of Texas State University (TSU) issued a letter Wednesday rebuking whomever has been placing racist, anti-immigrant flyers around campus.
“Several flyers encouraging readers to report undocumented immigrants to federal authorities were found and removed from different campus locations today,” TSU President Denise M. Trauth wrote in a statement published to the school’s official Twitter account. “The University, following current law, does not and will not report undocumented immigrants to authorities.”
The letter comes after more than 800 students and members of faculty petitioned university leadership to declare TSU a “sanctuary campus” where undocumented immigrants can feel safe from arrest and deportation. The petition also calls for enforcement of protections for LGBTQ students, in response to a hate crime against a male student shortly after the presidential election.
“Our vision of a sanctuary campus involves actively and vigilantly protecting Texas State University’s most vulnerable populations through administrative policies,” the petition explains. “Events both locally and nationally have demonstrated a need for Texas State University to strengthen its commitment to diversity.”
Students who signed the petition told Austin ABC News affiliate station KVUE that they feel the political climate on campus has changed significantly since the presidential election.
This isn’t the first time the campus has seen racist flyers appear in public, either. Prior flyers have featured even more extremist calls to action, including a request for “tar and feather vigilante squads” on campus to “arrest and torture” members of the administration.
The administration said it is considering the petition, but has not yet issued a substantive response.
(H/T: KVUE)
