UNF students protest university police joining ICE task force

Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, August 27, students at the University of North Florida rallied in protest against their university police department joining ICE’s 287(g) task force, a program that gives officers training and authorization to carry out immigration arrests.

The rally, organized by Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), mobilized over a dozen students. Protesters held signs reading, “We say: No UPD/ICE collaboration” and “No human is illegal,” while chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” Protesters raised demands including declaring UNF a sanctuary campus and pulling university police from the 287(g) task force.

“Let’s call this what it is – an attack on students,” said Angi Alva, a UNF student and member of SDS.

Alva continued, “We do not need university police acting as ICE on campus. This does not make students safer; it only presents a new danger.”

The rally started small but drew a crowd as it progressed. Several students walking by stopped to grab a sign and participate, saying they were glad to see people fighting back against the threat of deportations on campus. Around half a dozen students joined SDS on the spot.

The UNF Police Department submitted a request to join the ICE task force in April but didn’t receive confirmation until late in the summer. UNF administration has tried to keep quiet about the change, with UNF President Moez Limayem claiming university police are carrying out “business as usual” and saying student protesters are overreacting to the news.

However, recent events show the administration is hiding the severity of the threat to students. On the same day as the protest, UNF confirmed two officers were receiving ICE training, but only four days before, Limayem claimed no such training had been scheduled.

SDS Vice President Lorelai Dodge called out university administration on its lack of transparency, saying, “People need to realize admin is not on our side. The only ones we [students] can count on are ourselves.”

In addition to demanding a sanctuary campus, protesters also raised demands including protections for majors and DEI programs amid state budget cuts, as well as demanding divestment from Israel.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #StudentMovement #Trump #SDS