Denver students demand ICE off Auraria campus
By Bailey Heaton and Dena Rico
Denver, CO – On Wednesday, March 11, Denver Students for a Democratic Society (Denver SDS) rallied to demand that the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) – the owner and manager of the Auraria campus and all its buildings — ban ICE from campus.
The crowd of students gathered outside the Physical Education building and marched around the Tivoli Quad, chanting, “What do we want? ICE off campus! When do we want it? Now!” and “Skip Spear, can’t you hear? We want ICE out of here!”
During the spring 2025 semester, the Auraria Board of Directors passed a policy detailing what would happen if ICE is confirmed to be on campus. However, the policy does nothing except restate current state law regarding any federal agent activity: the Auraria Campus Police Department won’t interfere with any ICE or DHS operations, and the only requirement of ICE agents is that they have a judicial warrant.
ICE and the DHS are also allowed to teach in Auraria classrooms and recruit at job fairs, and have done so in the past, endangering immigrant students.
Nels Pine, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated, “The problem is that ICE is coming on to campus, the same force that’s killing people in Minneapolis, and detaining people in Aurora right here in our community.”
While other multicultural student organizations at MSU Denver and CU Denver share Denver SDS’ concerns about AHEC’s passivity, students are confident in the campus community protecting each other.
“There is beauty in being one of Colorado’s schools with the most diversity, and they’re here to attack them,” said Aya Sharia of the Sudanese Student Union. “The cowards of border control will never know what it’s like to have a community that sticks by your side.”
The fight against AHEC’s refusal to protect the Auraria immigrant student population will continue on campus and at future board of directors meetings.