Dear Governor Wolf,

On December 2, Pennsylvania Rep. Jerry Knowles published a memo proposing to cut state funding from “sanctuary campuses” that protect undocumented students and workers from ICE intervention.​

We, the undersigned Pennsylvania students, faculty, workers, community members, and allies, call on you to veto any legislation that would retaliate against sanctuary campuses.

We also demand that you take immediate, proactive steps to protect undocumented students and workers across Pennsylvania’s state campuses.

Knowles states that sanctuary status is a “political statement” that “endangers the lives of those that the institution should be protecting.” This is wrong. Our campuses should be protecting all of us—not treating those who are undocumented, many of whom came at a young age with limited resources to achieve their dreams, as a second class.

This threat comes in the wake of bold student action on over 100 campuses nationwide. In response, a number of colleges and universities, including Swarthmore and UPenn in Pennsylvania, have begun to declare sanctuary status.

We are prepared to take action to defend all those who are under threat—undocumented immigrants with our without DACA status, refugees, Muslims, Black people, Queer people, Trans people, women, people with disabilities, and all people of color. As a Trump Presidency brings new threats to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable communities, our campuses must stand strong as public spaces that serve us all.​