Declare Texas Tech University a Sanctuary for Undocumented Students

In the wake of the recent Presidential election, we Texas Tech University faculty, staff, and students write to demand that you investigate the possibility of our campus serving as a sanctuary for students, staff, and their family members who face imminent deportation. Given the announced plan by President-elect Trump to deport millions of immigrants and to abolish the DACA program that provides relief from deportation for over 700,000 students in the United States, we demand that you do everything in your power to establish TTU as a sanctuary campus for undocumented immigrants, their families, and related community members.

We ask for the following actions:
Issue a public statement immediately proclaiming the university’s commitment to the protection and support of all students in its community, regardless of immigration status, religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, sexuality or gender identity;
2) Guarantee privacy of students and staff/faculty by refusing to release information regarding the immigration status of our students, staff and community members;
3) Refuse to cooperate with federal authorities during attempted deportations or immigration raids on campus by:
a) Forbidding any enforcement agency, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), to come on campus to do immigration enforcement without warrants.
b) Refusing ICE/CBP physical access to all land owned or controlled by the University;
c) Prohibiting campus security from inquiring about or recording an individual’s immigration status or enforcing immigration laws and participating with ICE or CBP in actions;
4) Denouncing hate speech on campus directed toward immigrants, people of color, women, and LGBTQ students and employees, and promote a safe community on our campus in the following ways:
a) Strengthen all existing networks in place for reporting violent incidents;
b) Prohibit campus security from inquiring about or recording an individual’s immigration status, enforcing immigration laws or participating with ICE/CBP in actions.
9) In the event of student arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, or in the case of student reluctance to travel to/or appear on campus, put in place arrangements for the online continuation of their courses so that they may complete their degree programs.

As we face difficult days ahead, the Texas Tech University community would like to stand together with our undocumented brothers and sisters.