News and Views from the People's Struggle
By Sathvika Gowda and Ángel Naranjos
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 2, students rallied on the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) quad to condemn the attacks on the city of Tehran by the apartheid state of Israel and the United States. Students demanded no war on Iran.
Chicago, IL – On March 4, 30 students rallied in the quad at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). The protest, organized by New Students for a Democratic Society, was originally a counter-protest meant to happen at the same time as a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event.
Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, March 4, Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held an ICE rapid-response training for students at the University of North Florida. In total, 15 students attended.
West Lafayette, IN – On Monday, March 2, over 30 protesters gathered in front of the Armory on Purdue University campus to protest the illegal war on Iran by the United States and the apartheid state Israel.
New Orleans, LA – On Monday, March 2, around 25 students gathered on Freret Street in uptown New Orleans to protest the United States aggression against Iran. Students participated in the emergency action as part of a national call to action from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Baton Rouge, LA – On March 3, student protesters gathered outside the Louisiana State University (LSU) student union to fight back against Trump and Netanyahu's attacks against Iran and to demand “U.S. out of everywhere!”
Chicago, IL – El martes, 24 de febrero, más de 30 estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad se reunieron en el Centro Cultural Negro de la Universidad de Illinois Chicago (UIC) por un estreno de Judas y la Messiah Negra, seguido por una discusión guiada por camaradas del distrito de Chicago de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (OSCL).
Arcata, CA – Students at Cal Poly Humboldt are speaking out after a series of protests led to a sweeping crackdown by the university administration.
The protests began on February 20 when students held a sit-in demanding that the university divest from Israel and investments connected to war, adopt a real sanctuary campus policy protecting immigrant students from ICE, and publicly support striking Teamsters workers across the California State University system. The action forced administrators to agree to hold a public forum where students could present their demands.
Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, March 4, students at the University of North Florida gathered to protest U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, which has killed over 1000 people.
New York, NY – On March 3, around 25 NYU students and faculty gathered in the rain at Washington Square Park to oppose the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, March 3, 13 students rallied near the University of South Florida (USF) at a protest called by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Cars honked, and pedestrians raised their fists in solidarity with the rally.
Tampa, FL – On Thursday, February 26, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society mobilized around 15 students to demand U.S. hands off Cuba.
Michigan chapters of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) came together in Detroit at Wayne State University on Saturday, February 28, for their first statewide organizing conference.
New Orleans, LA – About 20 students gathered outside Loyola New Orleans’ campus on Thursday afternoon, February 26, to protest a CIA recruiting event in the Loyola School of Business. Students stood defiantly chanting, “We want justice, you say how? CIA off campus now!”
New Orleans, LA — Students from the Black Students Resistance Network (BSRN), an affiliate of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Xavier University of Louisiana, organized a walk-out and rally, February 27, to protest of the Trump administration’s ICE attacks.