Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, April 6, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally near the University of South Florida (USF) to demand “No ICE on campus” in response to USF and Department of Homeland Security signing onto a 287(g) agreement and the recent pause on H-1B visas passed by the Florida Board of Governors.
The 287(g) agreement allows USF police to train and act as ICE agents on USF campuses, putting international and immigrant students and faculty in direct harm’s way of racial profiling and being detained.
“A university is supposed to be a place of growth and safety, not a place where students feel watched and targeted by their own administrators, and most definitely not a place where their education could be interrupted by their own detention,” said Jayce Solis of Tampa Bay SDS in a speech demanding USF become a sanctuary campus immediately.
As protesters held signs with slogans like, “End 287(g)” and “No ICE on campus,” cars passed by honking in support.
The protest also demanded the reinstatement of H-1B visas, which universities commonly use to hire skilled foreign professionals in specialized fields that require advanced knowledge and education. Universities frequently use H-1B visas to recruit professors, scientists, engineers and researchers from around the world.
During the rally, attendees chanted “We want justice, you say, how? Sanctuary campus now!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportations!”
Tampa Bay SDS will continue to organize against this 287(g) agreement and the pause on H-1B visas.
#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #SDS
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