Two separate demonstrations took place on ASU's Tempe campus as students, staff and community members protested the increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the country.
One protest was hosted by organizers from Free America Walkout, while a second protest was organized by several different ASU and local organizations.
At 2 p.m. on Jan. 20, about a dozen people gathered near Durham Hall for the walkout protest. Participants marched around the building with signs and then made their way to the University Bridge on East University Drive.
Jonathan Cummings, a junior studying civil engineering, walked out of engineering mechanics class in support of the protest.
Cummings grew up in a small town in Texas, working in the local restaurant business with Hispanic community members who eventually became close friends.
"I have Hispanic people that I would consider family," Cummings said. "They're the hardest working people. They're the best. They come here for a better life, for their kids and their families, and it's just (upsetting) to see them treated that way."
The second protest, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine at ASU, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), and Planned Parenthood Generation Action, focused on pushback against ICE activity across the country.
"We wanted to have this event at ASU to show that ASU students will not allow ICE to come on campus, they will not allow ICE to kidnap their classmates and their friends," said Kyah Antolos, a sophomore studying psychology and a member of PSL. "The young people and the students, we have the power to use our voices against that."
Protesters first gathered at Hayden Lawn around 4 p.m. on Jan. 20, where members of the organizing groups addressed the crowd.
"We the people choose, and we make the choice to show up," said Hayden Nguyen, a junior studying business management, at the beginning of the protest. "We make the choice to be present. We make the choice to be defiant. We are ready to fight. We are ready to organize, and we won't stop until every ICE murderer is jailed."
Approximately 350 protesters gathered before beginning a march around the campus and down South Mill Avenue before returning to Hayden Lawn.
The high numbers of attendance served as a sign of encouragement and inspiration for those who organized the protests.
"I felt fire in my veins," said Nathaniel Tadesse, a community member and recruit for PSL. "It feels really good to know that we're together, we're not alone. We're not outnumbered, we're out-organized."
During the march, the protesters chanted several slogans, including "brick by brick, wall by wall, this racist system has to fall" and "power to the people, no one is illegal."
Many protesters carried signs given out by PSL with different messages, including "full rights for all immigrants," and "¡La lucha obrera no tiene frontera!"
Several leaders among the organizations spoke to fellow protesters at the conclusion of the demonstration.
"I want to remind us, before we close out, of the reason why we are here protesting today," Nguyen said. "It isn’t because it will take one of us to beat the system. It is because it will take all of us to beat the system."
For some students, the protest against ICE held personal significance, further driving them to attend.
"The ICE protests affect me personally," said Leigh Alcantara, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering. "I'm brown. I'm a person of color. A lot of my friends are brown and people of color."
Many organizers believe holding the event at ASU was crucial to gathering young student support for the movement.
"I believe the students are the future," Antolos said. "We’re going into these professions that are going to make the world run, so we need to be able to voice how we want that world to be."
Organizing groups like PSL concluded the protest with a call to action for the University.
"We demand that President (Michael) Crow and ASU designate ASU as a sanctuary campus so that undocumented students, students on visas, students on (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), they feel like they can be here and they don’t have to worry about ICE coming on campus and taking them," Antolos said.
Edited by Natalia Rodriguez, Henry Smardo, Katrina Michalak and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at galawre3@asu.edu, mmart533@asu.edu and sluba@asu.edu and follow @samluba6 on X.
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Sam Luba is a Senior Reporter with the State Press, focusing on longer form news stories and breaking news coverage. He is a Sophomore studying political science and justice studies, and is a competitor with Sun Devil Mock Trial. He was the Editor-in-Chief of his high school news magazine. He is in his 3rd Semester with the State Press, working previously as a Part-Time Political Reporter.
Grace Lawrence is a reporter for the community culture desk at The Arizona State Press. This is her 1st semester working with The State Press.
MJ is a senior reporter. She previously worked as a part-time reporter for Sci-Tech.
