San Jose State students hold ‘ICE out of the Bay’ protest
San Jose, CA – On January 28, around 80 San Jose State University students gathered near the Arch of Dignity and then marched to protest against recent ICE killings and in solidarity with the ongoing struggles against federal agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country.
The SJSU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, which organized the protest, did so as part of a broader call to action from National SDS in the wake of ICE’s brutal murders.
The main slogan advanced by the protesters was “ICE out of the Bay,” to call attention to ICE activity around the SF Bay Area. It is also meant to raise awareness around DHS lackey Kristi Noem’s threats to heighten ICE deployments for the upcoming Super Bowl sporting event. Common chants included “From Minneapolis to the Bay, immigrants are here to stay!” and “Up, up, up with the students! Down, down, down with ICE!”
Sofia Calderon, president of MeCha at SJSU, blasted university administration for its ineffectiveness in protecting their students. “Don’t you dare punish your students for being scared,” she said. “Seven people have been killed by ICE in 2026, and we are not even a month into the year. [Admin] do your fucking job and protect your students.”
Em Tee, a member of SDS, gave her speech halfway through the march, stating,“Alex Pretti became the most recent victim in a string of murders doled out by ICE,” she said. “The threat of ICE looms so large that children need to be protected while they walk to and from school by parents and faculty. But we will not let ICE kill our spirits, we will not let them kill our future!”
Tee then called attention to the upcoming anti-ICE protest on February 8 at the SuperBowl saying, “ICE has been planning to hold operations at Levi’s Stadium during the Super Bowl. They want to use the biggest sporting event of the year to scare and intimidate people. We hope you will be there.”
Tee ended her speech, “If you have been complacent, if you haven’t cared up until this point, we hope this is a reminder to you. That whatever the government does in nations you think you don’t care about because they have ‘nothing to do with you,’ they will go back and do it to Americans. To [ICE agents], we hope you remember that we know you have names and faces, and that we will not forgive you, we will not forget your sins, history will not look kindly on you! And to the rest of us, I hope that we will see you on February 8!”
The program ended with remarks from Tim Phan, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization San Jose, “The first thing Trump has in mind is to kill innocent civilians and deport immigrants. Does he really think he can play ‘bread and circuses’ while our nation rots from within? Give me a break.”
Pham continued, “If Trump thinks his government has hit the floor, I will tell him that it can, and will get worse. His time is coming to an end.”
After SJSU students ended their march, SDS ended with chants such as “Trump, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportation!”