The American Association of University Professors has endorsed the “sanctuary campus” movement seeking to provide illegal immigrant students protection from immigration officials.

AAUP’s national council approved a resolution Tuesday confirming their endorsement of the movement and used it as an opportunity to speak out against the apparent increase in “hate crimes” since Donald Trump’s election.

“The free exchange of ideas is incompatible with an atmosphere of fear.”

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Indeed, the AAUP contends that “an unprecedented spike in hate crimes, both physical and verbal, many of them on college and university campuses” has already occurred in the wake of Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton.

“These have been directed against African-Americans, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, religious minorities, women, and people with disabilities. In some instances the perpetrators have invoked the president-elect in support of their heinous actions,” the statement continues before condemning “these attacks” and calling on university administrators to “unite against them.”

While the statement then concedes that all students “may seek knowledge freely,” invoking the school’s 1994 statement on freedom of expression, it also asserts that “the free exchange of ideas is incompatible with an atmosphere of fear.”

In fact, the resolution even urges administrators to “take swift and firm action, consistent with due process rights, against those who have perpetrated violence,” saying such “menacing behavior” threatens our community and their sense of inclusion.”

The AAUP then expresses concern for undocumented students, calling them the “most vulnerable” among student populations while endorsing the campus sanctuary movement.

“While colleges and universities must obey the law, administrations must make all efforts to guarantee the privacy of immigrant students and pledge not to grant access to information that might reveal their immigration status unless so ordered by a court of law,” the statement contends.

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Additionally, the AAUP argues that colleges should avoid gathering “information about the citizenship or immigration status of people who have interactions with the administration, including with campus police,” even suggesting that campus “police should not themselves participate in any efforts to enforce immigration laws.”

Finally, the resolution calls on President-elect Trump to reconsider his appointment of Steve Bannon as his chief strategist, and “to more vehemently denounce the hate crimes being committed in the president-elect’s name and act to ensure the safety of members of threatened communities and the freedom of all to teach, study and learn.”

Campus Reform reached out to the AAUP for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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