University of California San Diego students demanded their school’s administrators remove the financial aid barriers for illegal immigrants.
“We’re here because people in our own classrooms are living in fear,” one UCSD student told protesters, according to The UCSD Guardian. “Some students can’t even apply for financial aid or campus jobs because of their immigration status. That’s unacceptable at a public university that claims to be inclusive.”
Around 200 students gathered to protest the Trump administration’s deportation efforts and demand that the university take action to protect illegal immigrants. The UCSD Associated Student Senate developed a resolution pressuring the UCSD administrators to take action.
People are seen boarding a U.S. military aircraft. The White House announced Friday that “deportation flights have begun” in the U.S. (White House)
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA STUDENTS RAIL AGAINST COLLEGE LEADERSHIP OVER WISHY-WASHY STAND ON ICE
The resolution, passed on Wednesday last week, wants the Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Life “to remove financial barriers for undocumented students,” which would entail “expanding grants for the professional development of undergraduate undocumented students, guaranteeing in-state tuition protections for undocumented students,” and “eliminating hidden fees and costs that disproportionately affect students without access to federal financial aid.”
They also want the chancellor to increase funding for the Undocumented Student Services Center by 20% in order to expand “basic needs resources, including housing, food security, and mental health support” for illegal immigrant students.
“We have student government representatives who say they support us, but now, it’s time for action,” sophomore Isabella Lopez told The UCSD Guardian in an interview.
“Passing this resolution is just the first step. We need administration to listen,” she added.
ICE Dallas officers arrested Dennis Alexander Valenzuela, 37, an illegally present Guatemalan national wanted for murder in his home country, according to ICE. (ICE)
President Donald Trump rescinded the previous administration’s executive order prohibiting ICE raids on locations such as churches, hospitals and schools — a measure that Trump’s border czar Tom Homan’s plans on utilizing.
UCSD said that they cannot prevent federal immigration officers from coming on campus.
Their website states that since they are a “public university and a large portion of UC property is open to the general public,” they do not “have authority to prohibit federal immigration enforcement officers from coming on campus or entering health facilities to enforce federal law.”
“The areas on campus that are open to the general public are also open to federal immigration enforcement officers,” their website states.
However, the school stated that their campus police will not work with federal immigration enforcement authorities.
A protest that occurred last week was led by the Students’ Civil Liberties Union, an organization affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union. Other groups involved are the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx por Activismo and the Latinx Student Association.
All the groups protested and marched last week, calling for the university to support students who are illegal immigrants and to divest from companies that are linked to immigration enforcement.
President Donald Trump rescinded the previous administration’s executive order prohibiting ICE raids in locations such as churches, hospitals and schools. (Bryan Cox/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Getty Images)
According to The UCSD Guardian, students held signs and posters that read “School for Education NOT Deportation,” “Familias Belong Together,” and “Immigrants Built America.”
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Among calls for administrators to remove the financial aid cap for illegal immigrants, the protesters also want to expand resources for the Undocumented Student Services Center to provide legal support, their university to sever ties with companies that maintain contracts with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and expand research opportunities for undocumented students.
UCSD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
