Community Gathers to Protest Increased ICE Raids

Powerful chants on Feb. 19 against anti-immigrant rhetoric echoed across Santa Clara University’s campus as dozens of students, staff and community members gathered to protest new federal policies and language surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he has issued numerous policies surrounding immigration that have then led to an increase in ICE raids. In Feb. 2025, 20,000 deportations occurred, whereas there were a total of 33,000 deportations in all of 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

With the crackdown on immigration, ICE raids have increased all over the country, including in the Bay Area. Just recently, a South Bay resident was arrested and hospitalized by ICE and is now awaiting deportation at a detention center in McFarland. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there has been a 627% increase in monthly ICE raids in comparison to last year when former President Joe Biden was in office. 

The protest began with speakers and then moved onto a march around campus, with the goal to show their support for the immigrant community. 

The protests’ organizer, an undergraduate student, collaborated with other campus leaders to bring the protest to life.

“Today, we are marching in solidarity with the immigrant community,” she said when interviewed. “With all the ICE raids happening it's affecting a lot of not just the students at SCU, but their families and people in our community. So we want to make a stance and just show them that we're here for them and that this isn’t ok.” 

Prior to the march, protesters met to make posters that read “No Human Beings Are Illegal,” “We Are Not Aliens” and “How can a nation built on immigrants deny immigrants?” alongside other pro-immigrant sentiments. 

Several students, staff members, and a policy assistant from the City of San Jose spoke in support of the immigrant community.

The policy assistant called on listeners to double their support for immigrants. He informed the protesters that the local police department does not cooperate with immigration enforcement. 

“We need to hear the voice of the community to keep them honest,” he said. 

After the speeches, the protestors marched across campus, accompanied by campus security officers. Although campus safety is not required to be at on-campus protests, they like to be aware of the protests that are happening in case something goes south.

One undergraduate student said she was “marching just to support other fellow Latinos in my community, just to help show that we are here and we want to bring a community along Santa Clara.” 

During the march, chants echoed throughout campus: “Power to the people, no one is illegal” and “When immigrants rights are under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”

From students stopping to watch on their walk to students peering out of windows in Kenna Hall, the protestors grabbed people’s attention. 

When interviewed, one attendee said, “As a hispanic person, it’s really important to show that there’s support, and I want to also bring awareness and also just be a part of something that is influential and hopefully other people can be inspired.”