Texas State students petitioning for 'Sanctuary Campus'

After the election of Donald Trump some Texas State University students like Raymond Garcia began to feel uneasy.

"Oh definitely I have friends who are immigrants, family who are immigrants, a lot of people who were definitely feeling for their safety, their livelihood," Garcia said.

Some fear Trump, as President, could do away with DACA -- that's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.  Basically protection for qualifying undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. 

"If they're coming here, if they want an honest education, if they want to be here and they want to work, they should be able to come here to the United States and do that but they should definitely be able to come to the campus and do that and not feel worried about being hazed or being pressured," said Texas State student Nikolas Farrell.

Farrell helped organize a petition urging university officials to make Texas State a sanctuary campus.

As of Wednesday morning there were more than 900 signatures, including Raymond Garcia's.

"I'm hoping that they will make it a sanctuary campus because I definitely feel that every student regardless of what their immigration status is should be able to feel safe and should be given that space at their own university," Garcia said.

Earlier this week Texas State president Denise Trauth told students in a letter, "I have become aware of a growing national movement to support the needs of immigrant students and a petition that is circulating at our University.  I am reviewing these initiatives and determining what the University’s role should be."

So should the school decide to adopt the policy, what would that mean for DACA students?

"Our goal would be to give them full protection and say 'Hey as long as you're here you're safe.'  However we realize that there's only so much that the president of the university can do, and that we can do and we can only bend the rules so much," Farrell said.

Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to cut off funding for sanctuary cities.

"Listen all we are asking them to do is follow and apply the federal law of the United States of America," Abbott said on Fox News.

So what about the concept of a sanctuary campus?  Would funding to the school also be cut off?

"I personally don't think they would because other schools have already begun to do this and if they cut off one school then they'd have to cut off another school," Farrell said.

The university says they are still reviewing the petition and they can't comment right now.  We did reach out to Governor Abbott's office this morning to see what his stance on sanctuary campuses is...we haven't heard back as of News time this evening.