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‘From Palestine to Mexico, all these walls have got to go,’ they chanted
Earlier this month, student leftists carrying signs reading “Fuck ICE” and chanting “No justice, no peace, no I.C.E. in our streets” held a rally at which they demanded the University of California Santa Barbara become a “sanctuary” campus for “undocumented” students.
The Daily Nexus reports that the rally, organized by the UCSB Young Democratic Socialists of America, delivered a petition signed by more than 3,000 students “urging” the school to “establish an emergency fund” for students who’ve been “deported or detained,” and “permanently funds” the “Dream Fresh Grant” for undocumented students.
Other demands include the hiring of a “response team” that is “accountable for locating, keeping track of, and maintaining communication with students that have been detained or deported,” “guaranteed housing contracts” for undocumented students, and offering “professional and career development opportunities” for same.
“Since January 2025, the Trump administration has escalated its campaign of militarized immigration enforcement and excessive use of violence towards immigrants and the Hispanic community as a whole, detrimentally impacting the communities of Isla Vista, Goleta, and our campus, a place many undocumented and international students call home,” the petition reads.
The Nexus, linking to a Guardian article, claims 2025 was the “deadliest” year at detention centers in the U.S. in over 20 years.
YDSA Secretary Alexandria Ewing, a feminist studies major, said UCSB is “a public university, so people who don’t go here are allowed to come on and access our resources. Just because they don’t pay to go here doesn’t mean that they also shouldn’t have protection.”
A UCSB Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (I.D.E.A.S.) spokesperson began by urging the University to make UCSB a more “equitable” campus. I.D.E.A.S. was established in 2006 by a group of undocumented students who felt a lack of representation on the UCSB campus and longed for a support group.
“I am here to address the universities and those in positions of power. We urge the administration to commit to making the undocumented student experience of campus more equitable and constructive,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson stressed that UCSB has a responsibility to protect its students in their pursuit of higher education by taking a stand against the Trump administration and I.C.E.
“The university is not a neutral space. It is an institution with the power either to communicate these harms or to reinforce them through inaction,” the spokesperson said.
Rally demonstrators also chanted “The people united will never be divided” and “From Palestine to Mexico, all these walls have got to go,” and related “anonymous testimonies” of petition signatories.
One testimony stated “My friends and community, both undocumented and documented, should not have to worry about their safety in a place of learning. Everyone has the right to information and education.”
MORE: UC Santa Barbara Young Democratic Socialists demand $900 payments from school
