Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (SIUC) students have decided they want their campus to be a safe haven for illegals — and also for their “related community members.” They are demanding to be included among the number of institutions throughout the country that believe they can exempt their campuses from federal laws.

Luckily, in this case the administration isn’t sure it’s that bright of an idea:

While hundreds of student groups have demanded sanctuary for students in the United States under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, fearing that President-elect Trump would follow through on his plans to eliminate the controversial policy, the calls for extended protection of family members and relatives at SIUC appear to be unprecedented so far. […] SIUC Chancellor Brad Colwell, moreover, acknowledged that there exist serious legal roadblocks to converting a campus into a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. “The concept of a sanctuary campus is complex and brings with it a number of legal questions,” he explained. “We do not want to go forward in a way that has unintended consequences for the university and all of its students.”

Colleges in this country are given a fair amount of autonomy, and for a good reason. The last thing we need are universities with curriculums that ebb and flow with the political powers of the time. However, it’s gotten ridiculous when schools funded with taxpayer dollars — the same place funding for law enforcement comes from — can just decide to ignore certain laws, and then ask that this decision be respected by law enforcement.

At least “sanctuary cities” are a political entity in their own right, with taxpayers of their own, and they can litigate from that position. But colleges? Not comparable in that regard. Appointed bureaucrats are deciding that federal law doesn’t apply to them, but that federal funding still does.

Cut funding and law enforcement to sanctuary “entities,” and let them fend for themselves.

It’ll be amusing to watch just how long it takes them to realize it’s not so much fun being a progressive when all the consequences fall entirely on you.