Students and faculty at Florida International University on Tuesday protested against the school police department’s decision to partner with federal authorities to enforce immigration laws.
Protesters chanted “Paws off our students!” and “No ICE on campus!” — referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency charged with arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants.
Later on Tuesday, a few dozen students demonstrated on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in west Miami-Dade.
"What do we want? ICE off campus! When do we want it? Now," they chanted.
The faculty protest took place ahead of the FIU Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday and comes less than a week after FIU officials confirmed that 18 foreign students had their F-1 visa statuses abruptly revoked by the Trump administration. FIU officials did not disclose why the students' visas were being terminated.
Colleges around the country are reporting some of their international students' visas are being revoked unexpectedly, expressing alarm over what appears to be a new level of government scrutiny.
READ MORE: Trump administration revokes visas for nearly 20 Florida International University students
FIU faculty said they are concerned that the agreement between university police and ICE will have a chilling effect throughout the student body, which includes more than 3,500 international students, according to the school’s website.
"Universities have usually been considered free spaces, open spaces," said Terrence Peterson, a history professor and UFF member. " We want our students to show up. It's hard enough to get them to show up anyways if they're afraid to come because they might be arrested and deported."
At the Board of Trustees meeting, Chairman Rogelio Tovar, in response to protesters, said he supported the decision by the university's police department to cooperate with ICE.
"No student should be fearful if they're here legally and they're in compliance with the law," he said.
FIU is among several college police departments to sign agreements with ICE and its 287(g) program, which allows ICE officials to train selected law enforcement officers and deputize them to help enforce immigration laws. Law enforcement agencies in all 67 Florida counties have signed 287(g) agreements.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pressed police departments statewide to sign the agreement to support President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda.
The UFF-FIU has called for the withdrawal of the university from the agreement with the feds.
"If ICE officers or deputies want to come to FIU and do their work legally fine, but we don't want our police officers to be doing the work that's that ICE should be doing," UFF-FIU President Tania Cepero López told WLRN.
