Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, April 6, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally near the University of South Florida (USF) to demand “No ICE on campus” in response to USF and Department of Homeland Security signing onto a 287(g) agreement and the recent pause on H-1B visas passed by the Florida Board of Governors.

The 287(g) agreement allows USF police to train and act as ICE agents on USF campuses, putting international and immigrant students and faculty in direct harm’s way of racial profiling and being detained.

“A university is supposed to be a place of growth and safety, not a place where students feel watched and targeted by their own administrators, and most definitely not a place where their education could be interrupted by their own detention,” said Jayce Solis of Tampa Bay SDS in a speech demanding USF become a sanctuary campus immediately.

As protesters held signs with slogans like, “End 287(g)” and “No ICE on campus,” cars passed by honking in support.

The protest also demanded the reinstatement of H-1B visas, which universities commonly use to hire skilled foreign professionals in specialized fields that require advanced knowledge and education. Universities frequently use H-1B visas to recruit professors, scientists, engineers and researchers from around the world.

During the rally, attendees chanted “We want justice, you say, how? Sanctuary campus now!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportations!”

Tampa Bay SDS will continue to organize against this 287(g) agreement and the pause on H-1B visas.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #SDS

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, March 31, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee held a rally for Trans Day of Visibility. The event took place at the UWM library and was co-sponsored by Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

This rally started on a somber note, with local trans musicians playing songs of solidarity and hope.

Sasha Gurin from SDS spoke to his experience as a trans youth and the importance of the student movement’s fight for equality of gender in schools. He too spoke of the need for the queer and trans community to fight back against Trump’s agenda, telling attendees that the struggle for trans liberation is principally one against the Trump agenda, and it is on us to unite with the struggles for Palestinian liberation, immigrant rights, and countless others.

A member of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee stated, “Our work for reproductive justice does not exist without the fight for trans rights.” They then spoke to today’s present fight, and the work to be done. “While trans folks are visible, they're not all protected, and visibility without protection just leaves people vulnerable. It leaves people vulnerable to attacks, and harm, to hate and violence, vulnerable to supreme court rulings like the one that just came in this morning.”

This event came the same day as a dangerous Supreme Court ruling which overturned Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy for minors. This dangerous ruling sets precedent for similar rulings in 26 other states with similar laws. While the attacks from the Trump administration continue, so do the defenses of the people.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #TransDayofVisibility #LGBTQ #Trans #SDS #StudentMovement #WomensMovement

Orlando, FL – On Thursday, March 26, UCF Students for a Democratic Society alongside Young Democratic Socialists of America organized a protest of over 40 students to march on Millican Hall, the main administrative building for the University of Central Florida.

This action was UCF SDS’s fourth rally demanding an end to the 287(g) agreement and for the university President Alexander Cartwright to meet with student leaders to make UCF a sanctuary campus.

After a call-in to the president’s office, Adrienne Frame, one of the “president’s designees for student-facing outreach” agreed to hold a meeting between the president’s office and SDS. After SDS sent their preferred meeting times, UCF admin proceeded to ignore the students.

At the start of the rally, Hazel Hazelwood, a member of UCF SDS told the crowd, “We are standing among over 60,000 of the state’s most ambitious young people. We are told we can accomplish anything we set our minds to, and yet Cartwright expects us to stay silent while our friends live in fear.”

From the front of the Student Union, the students marched to Millican Hall, while chanting slogans such as “Dare to struggle, dare to win” and “Come out Cartwright.”

The student activists carried signs that read “Sanctuary campus now” and “ICE off campus, end 287(g).” There were also signs that depicted UCF President Alexander Cartwright as “Where’s Waldo” with the slogan saying “Where’s Cartwright” due to Alexander Cartwright’s reputation for rarely attending events on campus.

Once the rally reached Millican Hall, Adrien Daugherty, another member of UCF SDS, was first to speak, “This is our campus. We pay to come here. The UCF admin is meant to serve us, not appeal to whatever administration is in power. We are their constituents – it is shameful that they would even entertain the idea of letting ICE come in here and kidnap one of our own. Shame!”

The final speaker was Ken Pham from UCF YDSA, who chose to speak on what UCF admin’s choice to sign onto the 287(g) agreement really means, stating, “Neutrality in the face of state repression is not neutrality. It is complicity. President Cartwright and his administration have made their decision. They are now collaborators.”

After chanting at Millican Hall demanding UCF President Cartwright come out to talk with the students, the rally marched across campus to Memory Mall and concluded by chanting “I believe that we will win.”

#OrlandoFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #ImmigrantRights

New York, NY – Over 350,000 New Yorkers convened at Central Park on March 28 to join the No Kings protest. The No Kings protests have been called to oppose the Trump administration and its policies. Protesters convened on Saturday to oppose the Trump administration’s attacks on the people, ICE detentions and deportations of immigrants and the ongoing war on Iran.

Protesters carried signs, wore frog and Trump costumes, held upside down American flags, and more to express their opposition to Trump. Several organizations had their own contingents, including the NYU and Columbia chapters of Students for a Democratic Society. The SDS contingent held flags with their organization’s logo and a banner reading, “Student power!”

As protesters marched downtown, they chanted “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Donald Trump has got to go!” “ICE, ICE go away! Immigrants are here to stay!” and “Money for jobs and education! Not for war and deportations!”

As the march ended, protesters were encouraged to do more by getting organized. The next No Kings protest is planned for May 1, International Worker’s Day.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement

Tacoma, WA – El 13 de marzo, más de 60 estudiantes salieron a las calles por una manifestación en la Plaza Tollefson para oponer la tiranía del presidente Trump en su comunidad. Los estudiantes se enfrentaron con el clima que traía nieve mientras ellos cantaron “Nieve, granizo, aguanieve, lluvia, no dejaremos que ICE nos venzca!”

Esta manifestación fue organizada por unos estudiantes secundarios de los distritos de Tacoma y de sus alrededores. Los estudiantes exigieron que la administración de sus escuelas se animaran a protegerlos durante las horas de operación de las escuelas y para defender de los ataques de ICE después de las horas de operación de la escuela.

Muchos de los estudiantes compartieron historias de cómo les ha impactado la presencia del ICE. Una estudiante llamada Charlotte Austin dijo, “Debemos dedicarnos a estudiar para las pruebas cumulativas y a la escuela, pero resulta que no podemos. Porque ciertas personas no tienen la oportunidad de presentarse en las pruebas cumulativas. Se roban de las calles. Se sacan de las escuelas; los niños llegan a sus hogares para ver que sus padres ya no están. El ICE hace que los niños no tengan hogar, que se separen las familias.”

De muchas formas, la crueldad del proceso de inmigracion de los EE.UU. ha causado reconocimiento a muchos estudiantes que las leyes son innecesarias. Las complicaciones de inmigracion ya se consideran como delito menor, todo para que el gobierno EE.UU pueda ocultar el derecho a la ayuda legal. Mientras tanto muchos secuestrados por ICE sufren condiciones peores que los de cualquier prisión típica. Tacoma tiene sitio en uno de los centros de detención más grandes en el estado de Washington. El Centro de Procesamiento de ICE del Noroeste se usa para encarcelar más de 1500 personas. En esta instalación, se reporta que a la gente le dan de comer comida mohosa, que le roban el sueldo, y que le cometen agresión sexual los empleados de Geo.

El Centro de Procesamiento de ICE del Noroeste está escondido entre varios almacenes y el ferrocarril, y los estudiantes le sienten mucha simpatía al sufrimiento del pueblo. Tras caminar fuera de la escuela con el clima todo helado, Austin dijo, “Es verdaderamente importante que la gente se presente, sin tener en cuenta el clima, porque el pueblo sufre suplicios aún peores en los centros de detención. Nosotros podemos quedarnos aquí por unas cuantas horas en la nieve.”

La congregación se planeó dentro de la semana que siguió la protesta principal y la marcha que honró la lucha por el Día Internacional de las Mujeres y una semana y media antes del día de No Reyes en Tacoma. Está claro que más personas en Tacoma se preparan y se organizan para salir a las calles para pelear contra el imperialismo en cualquier forma que tiene.

#TacomaWA #WA #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights

Baton Rouge, LA – On March 28, a crowd of 1500 people gathered across the street from the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge on No Kings Day to protest Trump’s reactionary agenda.

Before marching, Gabriela DeJean of the Louisiana State University (LSU) chapter of Students for a Democratic Society addressed the crowd, “If you’re a student, at any school or of any age, come find us. You don’t have to have experience organizing, you just have to decide right here, right now, that you don't want to be complacent. If you’re not a student, that doesn’t mean you’re outside of this. This affects entire communities, get involved with an organization.”

People lined up and marched down downtown Baton Rouge with signs that said, “Fight Trump’s agenda!” and “We say no to deportations!” As they made their way downtown, they chanted, “Power to the people, no one is illegal!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportation!”

DeJean finished by saying, “This only works if people keep showing up after today. Pay attention to how quickly things are changing around you and decide which side of history you want to be a part of!”

#BatonRougeLA #LA #PeoplesStruggles #StudentMovement #SDS #ImmigrantRights

Starting from Margerum Fountain, the massive crowd of protestors spanned the entirety of the John T. Meyers Pedestrian Bridge as they marched shoulder to shoulder making their way to the Lafayette courthouse. After the massive crowd rounded the courthouse they made their way back to Tapowingo Park to listen to live music and speakers

Protesters demanded an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, an end to the terror of ICE, a return to the rule of law, and disparaged the lack of accountability of the Trump administration.

“Today the war that no American asked for has reached a month in length,” said Lea Rush, a member of SDS at Purdue. “As a student I call on all American institutions of higher learning to immediately divest from their military industrial partners. We will not tolerate our schools being the intellectual and technological backbone of terror and genocide all across the world.”

It is clear that wide sectors of people are vehemently against this illegal and unpopular war of aggression. People are tired of billionaires sending young people to fight and die in their dirty wars and the No Kings protest are evidence that there is popular outrage against the Trump administration. People want real change and want it now.

The protest was organized by Indivisible. The No Kings Rally had attendees from various organizations including Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Purdue, JVP Indiana, Greater Lafayette DSA, and YDSA.

To get involved with SDS at Purdue follow us on Instagram @sdsatpurdue and attend our weekly planning meetings every Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Haas Hall room 101.

#LafayetteIN #IN #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #StudentMovement

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, March 10, over two dozen students gathered at the University of Illinois Chicago east campus’s quad to demand that UIC administration set a precedent for a true sanctuary campus now.

The rally was organized by Mexican Students of Aztlan’s (MeSA) Educación, Resistencia y Activismo (ERA) committee and was a part of a broader week of action events that commemorated the 20th anniversary of the first megamarches that occurred on March 10, 2006 in Chicago.

The rally included speakers from New Students for a Democratic Society, the Immigrants’ Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Mexican Students of Aztlan.

Ileanne Cecilio, a member of MeSA and the emcee of the rally began by sharing the importance of the day which signifies 20 years since the megamarches and how the struggles for immigrant rights is far from over, especially at UIC. Cecilio elevates the work of the many immigrant rights activists who have built up the movement where it is today and UIC’s history of student activism to get the resources that exist for students now such as the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES) and the Latino Cultural Center. They also raise the demands of MeSA’s current sanctuary campus campaign in needing the current administration to take a stand for their students and not continue the capitulation to Trump's racist agenda.

“We are living during interesting times of uncertainty and oppression by the U.S. government,” began Ikzael Hernandez, ERA’s committee lead. “We need to stand together and be on the same page, not only within the boundaries of this UIC institution but beyond.”

Another student and member of MeSA, Briseida Buitron, shared a powerful poem, “Our people keep fighting. We’re here and they don’t like it! Kick us all out, but we come back marching.”

Gianna Escareno from the Immigrant Rights Working Committee stated, “We must continue to show solidarity from Chicano liberation to Black liberation, Palestinian liberation, workers’ rights, women and LGBTQ rights and of course immigrants’ rights because we know that the attack on our communities won’t end until we fight back, resist and until all of us are free!”

Students then marched across campus and to University Hall as they chanted “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!” and “Sanctuary campus now!”

Student organizers encouraged those present to join one of the many progressive student organizations like MeSA, New Students for a Democratic Society or Anakbayan who are all fighting for various struggles on campus.

They encourage people to support Mexican Students of Aztlan as they continue to build their campaign for a sanctuary campus at UIC and stay tuned for future actions. They are on Instagram @mesaatuic.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #MESA #SDS #SDSatUIC #UIC

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the New Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois Chicago (New SDS at UIC).

Rick Toledo is a student activist and SDSer at Cal Poly State Humboldt who, for years, has been demanding that Cal Poly State Humboldt divest from the Israeli genocide and make the university a sanctuary campus!

On March 6, Rick’s home was raided by police officers, and he was detained without bail. These charges came about from a brave student-led building occupation for Palestine at Cal Poly Humboldt in February of 2024.

With pressure from concerned students and the community, the police department was forced to release him on bail on March 8. But Rick is still facing charges of multiple felonies he did not commit, has been suspended from his college, and was fired from his university job!

Furthermore, we are angered to hear that on the night of March 19, the University Police Department went back to his home with a warrant to take his personal devices, including his laptop, phone, and other electronics!

We know that this is a clear act of repression, that this is an attack not only against Rick Toledo, but against all students who stand with Palestine!

We see that the university and the state of California are attempting to punish Rick and the brave students who stood up for Palestine for their acts of resistance, which is why we are calling on all students, all community members, and everyone who believes in free speech to join us in standing with Rick Toledo!

New Students for a Democratic Society at University of Illinois Chicago is proud to stand with Rick Toledo, and we demand that no charges are filed against him!

Protesting for Palestine is not a crime!

Hands off Rick Toledo!

#RickToledo #SDSatUIC #SDS #UIC #ChicagoIL #CalPolyHumboldt #Palestine #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement

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.

#DenverCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS

Chicago, IL – On March 19, New Students for a Democratic Society (New SDS) held a campus town hall meeting to demand campus administrators increase funding for cultural centers, protect DEI, and declare a sanctuary campus. A crowd of around 50 students faced the three administrators who were seated next to a podium to hear students’ testimony.

The event opened with Gio Araujo from New SDS. Gio Araujo stating, “We have made it loud and clear: properly defend and fund our cultural centers. Raise the funding for the cultural centers to hire students on campus.”

“All students have a right to an education that is meaningful and accessible to them, one that meets their academic and cultural needs. No compliance with Trump is the only acceptable option for our administration,” continued Araujo.

Ileanne Cecilio, speaking on behalf of Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA), said, “What we are here to advocate for, and demand is only a continuation of the work that has been done by many activists and students before us. Our current MeSA campaign demands we be a true sanctuary campus for our students.” Cecilio highlighted UIC’s inaction when two women were detained outside a campus building last October.

Jacob Belencion from Anakbayan said, “UIC needs to show its commitment through action. Show your students that you are on the side of your diverse student population, not the side of the administration shutting us down.”

After opening speeches the event transitioned to public comment. Xzavier Jones from New SDS said, “I find it unbelievable that UIC doesn't feel the need to move with urgency when it comes to defending the spaces that their minority population frequents.”

After public comment, the three attending administrators gave introductions and answered questions from the students. Michael Ginsburg, special advisor to the chancellor for student affairs, insisted that declaring a sanctuary campus would “put a target on our back”. He went on to say that the city of Chicago had done this by declaring itself a sanctuary city. This was met with disapproval from the crowd.

River from New SDS led the crowd in a final chant: “Dare to struggle! Dare to win!” Organizers of the event encouraged students to join endorsing organizations in continuing to raise these demands. The event was endorsed by Anakbayan, Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA), Black Student Union, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, UIC United Faculty Union, Sanctuary for All, College Democrats and Latinos Unidos.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS #MeSA

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

On the night of March 19, 2026, University Police Department returned with a warrant to the apartment of Rick Toledo, Students for a Democratic Society organizer at Cal Poly Tech Humboldt, and seized his laptop, phone, and other electronics such as a camera. They attempted to force him to give up his passcodes, and he told them no. He did the right thing.

This violation of his privacy comes as part of their effort to charge him with four bogus felonies – false imprisonment, conspiracy, battery, and assault – related to the student protest on Feb 27. This is the latest in their string of acts to suppress any campus free speech for Palestine and divestment from Israel, along with suspending and firing him from his university teaching job.

We should be perfectly clear about it: there is nothing wrong with supporting any student action, including building occupations, that is taken to make demands of a university. Our rights to free speech and freedom of assembly are protected by the First Amendment, enshrined in the constitution. College protest is a long-time tradition, and it continues on today. Toledo committed no crime in supporting the student protest, and the university is determined to create lie after lie in order to demonize him.

In our view, what they really want to do is punish Toledo not for the one-day building occupation last month, but for the 9-day building occupation during the encampment movement in spring of 2024. That display of courage by the students in the name of ending university support for a genocide made it to millions of TV screens, and the state of California and university want someone to pay. Toledo is their target of choice, years later.

We demand that he not be charged of any crime, because he didn't do anything wrong. We demand that his devices be returned ASAP. Activists should learn from his example of not telling the police a single thing, including a passcode. The university and police are the criminals here for trying to scare activists out of speaking out against the university's continued financial support to Israeli apartheid. Now is not the time to suffer in silence; it’s the time to speak out. We need to condemn political repression, stand with Rick Toledo, and defend our rights to speak out for Palestine.

Don’t Charge Rick Toledo!

Give Him His Property Back!

Protesting for Palestine Is Not a Crime!

#CSFR #StopFBI #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday March 12, Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society held a teach-in on the history of SDS and the Black Liberation Movement.

The multi-national crowd of attendees were taught about the lives and contributions of three influential Black Panthers, those being Assata Shakur, Dr. Huey P. Newton and Chairman Fred Hampton, and their contributions to the student movement today.

Attendees spoke about the misrepresentation of Black liberation movements within media and education, as well as the tactics used by the Black Panther Party that are seen in political organizing today.

Discussion of the influence of the Black liberation movement has on local Jacksonville organizing shed light on the of inspiration that each leader provided to political organizing to this day.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #StudentMovement #BlackLiberation

Tacoma, WA – On March 13, over 60 students showed up for a rally in Tollefson Plaza protesting President Trump’s tyranny in their community. The students faced difficult weather that brought snow while they chanted “Rain, snow, sleet or hail, we will not let ICE prevail!”

This rally was organized by high school students from many schools in the Tacoma and surrounding school districts. The students demand that their schools’ administrations take more action at protecting them during school hours and to fight back against ICE terror after school hours.

Many students shared how the impact of ICE has influenced them. One student named Charlotte Austin said, “We should be focusing on finals and school, but instead we can’t. Because some people don’t get to do finals in school. They’re being stolen off the streets. They’re taken from schools; kids are coming home to their parents being gone. ICE is making children homeless, they’re separating families.”

In many ways, the cruelty of the U.S. immigration process has made students recognize how the laws are unnecessary. Immigration issues are considered a misdemeanor so that the U.S. government can withhold legal assistance. Yet many who are kidnapped by ICE face worse conditions then they would at any prison. Tacoma is home to one of the largest detention centers in the state of Washington. The Northwest ICE Processing Center is used to imprison over 1500 people. At this facility, people have been reported to have been fed moldy food, had their wages stolen [1], and have been sexually assaulted by Geo employees [2].

The Northwest ICE Processing Center is hidden between warehouses and train tracks, and the students are sympathetic to the people’s suffering. After walking out of school to protest in freezing conditions, Austin said, “It’s really important for people to show up, no matter the weather, because people are going through worse conditions in detention centers. We can show up for a couple of hours in the snow.”

This rally came less than a week after a protest and march honoring the fight for International Women’s Day and a week and half before No Kings in Tacoma. It is clear that more people in Tacoma are getting organized and prepared to take to the streets to fight against imperialism in all its forms.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/geo-group-loses-latest-bid-nix-23-mln-verdict-over-immigrant-detainee-pay-2025-08-13/

[2] https://www.theurbanist.org/ice-tacoma-detention-center-targeted-in-lawsuit/

#TacomaWA #WA #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement

New York, NY – On March 12, around 20 NYU students and faculty picketed at the front of the Kimmel Center, where the university senate was set to take place. The Students for a Democratic Society at NYU organized the picket to demand a sanctuary campus.

The picket comes after the organization’s petition delivery on February 20, where students rallied and delivered a petition with over 600 signatures demanding the administration implement a sanctuary campus. The administration has yet to provide any response to SDS’ demands.

Protesters chanted “NYU, hear our call! Sanctuary for all!” and “Say it once, say it twice! We will not put up with ICE!” as they picketed. Protesters also held signs reading, “Sanctuary campus now!” and “ICE murders, ICE lies! We can see it with our eyes!” As people passed by, they joined along with the chants, clapped in approval, and took photos of the picket. NYPD and NYU campus security officers stood by watching as well.

Andres Luke from the NYU Young Democratic Socialists stated, “NYU has a clear political allegiance. That being said, student safety is not political! No matter what Linda Mills and her administration may claim. We are not asking them to violate the law to protect our students, we are asking them to protect our students from violations of the law.”

Sonya Posmentier from the NYU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine told the crowd, “I’ve seen our students and colleagues put their bodies on the line to stop federal agents from taking our neighbors on Canal Street and at Federal Plaza. And I’ve seen our students provide accompaniment and detention support. I’ve seen you set up rapid response networks, community defense, and alert systems when the university failed to do so.”

A member from the NYU SDS read a statement from Latinos Unidos Con Honor y Amistad (LUCHA), “The targeting of immigrant communities is our reality in 2026; it is a direct assault on human dignity. When families are separated, when students disappear from their classrooms and dorms, when communities live in fear, we cannot turn a blind eye and deny these human rights violations. LUCHA calls on NYU to align its actions with its stated values of inclusion, equity, and global citizenship.”

Patrick Reddy from NYU SDS stated, “NYU has done irreparable damage to its relationship with its students by bending to the will of a federal administration whose values directly contradict the diverse community this university proudly advertises in its promotional materials. Why? To avoid legal battles? To protect funding? At what point do you decide that protecting students matters more? The student body has had enough of being ignored. You may choose to back down and cower, but we will not. We will stand up for each other.
We will protect our peers.
And we will keep fighting until our university does the same.”

Protesters continued to picket after speakers – with their chants being heard from inside the meeting room of the university senate. Afterwards, protesters dispersed with a promise to continue taking action until their demands are met.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #NYU #StudentMovement #SDS #ImmigrantRights

Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 9, members of Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) at the University of Illinois at Chicago gathered in the Latin American and Latino Studies Conference Room in UIC’s University Hall to watch the documentary La Primavera de Immigrante (2006). This documentary screening kicked off the beginning of MeSA’s Sanctuary Campus Week of Action.

MeSA members Ikzael Hernandez and Camila Solis began by sharing the history of the mega-marches for immigrant rights on March 10, 2006, where over an estimated 300,000 people marched in the streets of Chicago to protest the racist bill HR 4437 – otherwise known as the “Sensenbrenner Bill.” If passed, this bill would have made the act of providing aid to undocumented immigrants in any way, shape, or form a felony charge. Among the main demands raised on March 10, 2006, and the following May Day were to shut down this bill and to grant legalization for all undocumented immigrants.

The documentary showed footage of these historic demonstrations in Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of immigrants from a wide range of nationalities – but especially Chicanos, Mexicans and Latinos, united in the streets. After the documentary, students had a discussion where they discussed this important history and drew lessons that they could apply to the current context of Trump and his escalated attacks on sanctuary cities like Chicago.

In the fall semester, UIC students and members of MeSA in particular were engaged in the fight against the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” Students talked about the importance of building solidarity among different immigrant nationalities and uniting with progressive movements on campus – especially as Chicago faces looming threats of another assault by the Trump administration in the spring.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement

Bozeman, MT – On March 13, Montana State University students and community members disrupted the “Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Montana” open house held at the EngineWorks building on Montana State University’s Innovation Campus, to protest the university’s ties to military research and surveillance technologies that assist Israel’s war on Iran and the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

The disruption was organized by Students Against Genocide (SAG). The group formed earlier this year in response to MSU’s research relationships with defense agencies and corporations whose technologies contribute to war crimes, surveillance and state violence.

SAG has focused particular attention on MSU’s Innovation Campus, which is operated by the MSU Alumni Foundation and Charter Realty – it hosts research facilities and private corporate tenants involved in war-related work. Among them is the site of Friday’s protest, the EngineWorks building, which hosts companies specializing in intelligence and surveillance technology.

According to SAG, some of these companies have direct links to Israeli military operations. One such tenant, Reveal Technology, confirmed in a public statement in 2024 that its Farsight intelligence software was being used by the Israel Defense Forces.

Shortly after the open house event began, the activists entered the auditorium. Several held Palestinian flags and signs reading “Stop the U.S. war on Iran.”

One protester took the stage with a megaphone and addressed the crowd, saying, “This facility is complicit in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the genocide of the Palestinians. End the war on Iran right now!” Security quickly intervened and pushed the protesters out of the auditorium. As the activists were removed from the building, they continued chanting, “Disclose, divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!”

After being forced out of the building, the students regrouped on a nearby sidewalk outside the EngineWorks building. There, they continued chanting and holding signs condemning U.S. and Israeli violence against Palestinians and Iran.

During the picket, an Innovation Campus official approached the students and asked them to stop chanting, claiming they should “have respect” for the event being hosted inside. Protesters refused, noting the hypocrisy of demanding “respect” for an event promoting technologies linked to the killing of over 70,000 Palestinians and the missile strike that killed around 150 Iranian schoolgirls in Minab.

One protester and MSU student, Julian Staggs, now faces Student Code of Conduct violation charges for involvement in the protest. When asked about his conduct charges, Staggs stated, “Repression faced by Palestine activists in the U.S. is nothing compared to the repression the people of Palestine face on a daily basis, which is facilitated by technologies developed here. I’m proud to have so many friends and supporters with Students Against Genocide to stand alongside me.”

Students Against Genocide has been organizing throughout the semester to pressure Montana State University to adopt enforceable ethics policies governing military and surveillance research, cut ties with companies connected to genocide, and disclose all research funding sources and corporate partnerships connected to the Innovation Campus.

They say they plan to continue protesting until the university addresses their demands and ends its involvement in research and partnerships that support war and occupation.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement

Austin, TX – On Friday, March 13, around 20 students rallied in front of the Student Services Building at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in support of students targeted by UT administration for protesting against Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” and the consolidation of ethnic and gender studies departments.

This rally was organized by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) for the defense of Daniel Ramirez, who is currently facing the possibility of suspension. Daniel Ramirez, who is also a member of Austin SDS, addressed the crowd before walking into his suspension hearing, pointing out, “This repression will not stop us. While repression doesn’t mean we’re winning, it means they’re scared of us.”

As Ramirez walked into the Student Services Building, the crowd cheered him on, chanting, “We want justice you say how, drop all the charges now,” “No more secrets, no more lies, student voices will never die!” and “The students united, will never be defeated!”

Elise James, a member of Austin SDS, elaborated on why Austin SDS felt compelled to protest against the university administration. James said, “For most of its history, UT has pushed its students to protest because they do not care about us. We have to make them listen.” She challenged the university’s narrative, saying, “To the people who tell us we should have been respectful, we were. We have been trying to reach them for months, but they did not listen.”

Jesse Valdelamar, a member of La Frontera Unida, spoke on the effect consolidation will have on the ability for Chicanos to learn about their own history, stating, “UT President Jim Davis and his lackeys want Tejanos to forget about our history, to forget about the pain and suffering that’s we’ve had to endure, and above all, to not be proud about who we are.”

Mia Reballosa, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “The university is making millions of dollars from oil and exploitative contracts with sweatshops. They also hire war hawks and war criminals.”

Reballosa continued, “When we are repressed, we need to double down. We need to be bolder. We need to let the university know that we won’t back down.”

Despite the repression, Austin SDS plans to continue its campaign against department consolidation.

#AustinTX #TX #StudentMovement #SDS #PoliticalRepression

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, March 10, around 25 students attended a rally called by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society against the freeze on H-1B visas and USFPD’s collaboration with ICE.

In February, the USF Police Department officially signed on to the 287(g) agreement that allows their officers to cross train as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Earlier this month, the Florida Board of Governors, the governing body for public universities in Florida, approved a freeze on hiring new faculty through the H-1B visa program until the end of the year. The H-1B visa program allows employers nationwide to hire foreign workers for specialty occupations like professors. USF’s new President Moez Limayem was previously a recipient of the visa.

In response to these actions taken by the school, Tampa Bay SDS called a rally to demand USF protect international students and faculty. Students demanded that USF be designated a sanctuary campus, and for administration and USFPD to refuse to work with ICE, including not inviting them to the career fairs on campus.

“If they truly want to live up to the values they advertise, then they must prove it. Not with marketing slogans or student clubs, but with real protections and policies,” said SDS member Jayce Solis. “Until that happens, we will continue to organize, speak out, and we will continue to fight for the safety and dignity for every student on this campus.”

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights

New Orleans, LA — On Friday, March 6, the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO-SDS) held a rally and speak-out event in support of adopting sanctuary campus policies at Loyola University New Orleans.

Earlier this year, on February 10, students from LUNO-SDS and the wider Loyola community delivered a letter of demands to Loyola president, Xavier A. Cole. In the letter were proposals for sanctuary-style policies that would demonstrably protect the student body. The only response that the students received ignored their demands and did not offer any concrete solutions to concerned and affected students.

At the rally, Loyola professor and member of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Dr. Pablo Zavala, spoke in support of the student protesters. In response to claims that ICE is no longer an issue in New Orleans, Dr. Zavala said, “There is a racist, xenophobic, capitalist war machine that is not going to stop for anything.” He continued saying, “Whether it’s ICE, whether it’s CBP, whether it’s DHS, whether it’s HSI or ERO – they are all part of the same war machine, and because of that we know that ICE kills!”

Also in attendance was LUNO-SDS member and Loyola student Chelsea Bandala. Bandala told the story of how her brother was detained by ICE and the university did nothing to stand by her. “This is greatly impacting me, and I feel it in my heart every single day, and do you know what Loyola did? They turned a blind eye.” In reference to Loyola’s efforts for designation as a “Hispanic-serving Institution,” Bandala added, “How will they claim to serve us, when they deny us our claims, when they deny us the policies that we are asking for?”

Lastly, Rosalina Framboise of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The people whose research, whose tuition, and whose labor power this university, ought to have a say in how this university is run.”

Framboise concluded, “If the students want sanctuary campus policies, then we should have sanctuary campus policies. And if you want us to stop protesting, adopt the damn policy!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #SDS