Students rally Petition urging UMD to protect undocumented students

Over 70 students gathered at Hornbake Plaza Wednesday afternoon for the University of Maryland’s Young Democratic Socialists of America’s Sanctuary Campus Rally, calling on President Darryll Pines and the UMD  administration to declare the university a sanctuary campus and restore resources for undocumented students.

Sanctuary campuses are educational institutions that declare a safe space for their students by actively ensuring equal protection, according to Immigrants Rising, an organization that strives to ensure equity and opportunities for undocumented students.

The rally comes as a result of a September campaign kick-off meeting the chapter held. During that meeting members created protest signs that read messages such as  “No ICE @ UMD” and discussed their intended delivery of the petition.

“We wanted to reach out to the admin ahead of time with our route plan and a rough description of the event, and we asked if they would be able to deliver a petition, and if someone [from the administration] would be there,”  sophomore American studies, communications double major and YDSA co-chair, Nick Cosgrove, said. 

(Sophia Parkins and Madeline Seck/ The Black Explosion)

Specific demands of the petition include refusing immigration enforcement access to nonpublic campus areas without a judicial warrant, declining to share student information without a court order and alerting the campus community whenever immigration enforcement agents are present.

As of Nov. 11, the petition driving the rally collected almost 3,000 signatures.  

YDSA member and sophomore immersive media design major, Xavier Perry, cites actions across multiple levels of government, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, have created cause to fight.

During the rally, YDSA organizers referenced the university’s removed webpage over the summer that contained information and resources for undocumented students, including guidance on residency reclassification for in-state tuition and university policies on interacting with immigration enforcement agencies. Visitors to the page are met with “Error 404: Page Not Found.” 

Additionally, in August, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was renamed to Belonging & Community at the university.

There were seven speakers at the rally representing many campus organizations, including Political Latinxs United for Movement and Action in Society, Students for Justice in Palestine, the UMD Graduate Labor Union, United Academics of Maryland, the Asian American Student Union, UMD College Democrats and more. 

Cosgrove said that President Pines has not responded to the group’s request for public comment.

“There might be, you know, emails to professors about guidelines or things like that… and that’s cool, but that’s not enough. We want them to be very publicly adamant about their protections against ICE for students,” he said.

Rally participants held chant printouts that contained the words for recitation: 

“No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” 

“Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE!” 

“Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!”

During the rally members held up a large banner spelling out, “YDSA UMD” in red behind the protesters. Mediators, a refuge person for protesters if anything unsafe with the administration or police occurred, wore red ribbons across their heads and necks. 

According to Perry, the sense of danger towards participating in the rally was felt from attendees after protestors and journalists were detained during an Oct. 21 event hosted by Students Supporting Israel in Jiménez Hall involving  Israeli Defense Force soldiers. 

Jenna Adwallah, representing SJP, said she came to support immigrant students.

“The administration really needs to focus on protecting immigrant and undocumented students and making sure that the campus is a safe place for them and to oppose the actions of our current corrupt administration,” she said.

Following the speeches, participants marched through McKeldin Mall and stopped across the street from the Thomas V. Miller Jr. Administration Building. Police officers acted as a buffer between the protesters and the building. Two YDSA members handed a white binder containing the petition to a university administrator and shook hands.

The petition also urges the UMD Police Department to not enter any agreements that would allow officers to participate in immigration enforcement.

“Students across the country are rising up to defend their campuses and protect their peers from ICE,” said Evan Caldwell, a national YDSA organizer who visited the College Park chapter in September said he saw students nationwide push back against immigration enforcement on campuses.

“At Towson University, they kicked ICE out of their career fair last year,” he said. “Universities across the country are fighting back against agreements that turn campus police into immigration agents. We’ve seen students do something about it.” 

Perry believes YDSA is reminding students that they are empowered. “It shows that we were not just giving the federal government a green light… we can’t let them walk over us,” he said. 

Cosgrove said the campus campaign is about transparency and student safety. “Students deserve to know if they’re being protected.”