Anti-ICE protest to take place on MC campus, Wednesday, Feb. 25, noon

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, a student-led demonstration will protest political violence and “unjust ICE actions,” giving MC students, faculty and staff an opportunity to express themselves during a time of political and social turmoil.

Leilani Carden (‘27) and Michel Gonzalez (‘27) organized this event, with approval from Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Ben Stubbs. Per the College’s Demonstration/Protest Policy, “Maryville College values and promotes the right of free speech and views self-expression as an integral component of the Maryville College experience for all members of its community.”

At noon, MC community members will gather on Pearsons’ lawn, and are encouraged to bring their own signs. From there, the group will walk the direct path across campus towards Bartlett Hall, and will march Circle Drive a few times. The time allotted for this demonstration is one hour.

“We are hoping to provide posters for people who maybe want to come last minute, and encourage people to bring their own, just no curse words,” Gonzalez said. “It can be anything – we don’t want to exclude anybody. But Leilani and I have a special interest in things going on with ICE.”

ICE, which stands for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has been under public scrutiny due to recent actions. With the passing of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” the budget for ICE skyrocketed from $10 billion to $85 billion, and in May of 2025, U.S. Homeland Securities Advisor Stephen Miller called for 3,000 arrests per day.

Many people in the U.S. have expressed concerns about the rate at which ICE detains individuals who are in the country legally, or who have not been convicted of any crimes.

“The number of immigrants detained by ICE who have no convictions or pending charges has soared, from 3,165 in February 2025 to 25,193 in January of this year,” according to Robert Farley at FactCheck.org.

According to the independent, investigative news organization ProPublica, during the first nine months of Trump’s second administration alone, more than 170 American citizens, including almost 20 children (two of whom had cancer), have been rounded up and detained during ICE enforcement actions, some of them denied the right to contact loved ones or an attorney for more than 24 hours.

“I don’t agree with the actions that ICE is taking. They are murdering people [or denying them medical attention],” Carden said, citing examples of the deaths of Renee Good, Alex Pretti and the recent death of Linda Davis, a special education teacher in Savannah, Georgia.

“That’s why I’m opposed to ICE,” Carden added, explaining that organizers opened the demonstration up to include protest against political violence as well.

“People are intentionally trying to ramp up political violence to further divide U.S. civilians on these issues,” Carden said. “It serves [to desensitize us] to violence. It is used to deepen political rifts and suppress movements which seek to unite people. Anyone that comes is marching for all victims of political violence, and I hope that’s our common ground.”

She added that she was thinking about Black History Month when opening the protest up to all forms of political violence.

“Political violence has been used against Black people and Black activists for decades,” Carden said. “It’s disgusting and I can’t stand for it anymore.”

Jonathan Humberd (‘29) added his perspective as well.

“I think that the monopoly on political violence that the U.S. government has is disgusting,” Humberd said, clarifying that “the way they use violence through ICE to terrorize minority communities is [something] we should be pushing back against as much as we can.”

In a political and social climate that can feel overwhelming, an opportunity to put socio-political beliefs into tangible action isn’t always possible, which is another reason why Carden and Gonzalez decided to organize the protest. Initially, the pair were both worried about a potentially low turnout, as attention span and commitment to action is often fleeting – only relevant when “trending.” However, Gonzalez said that she has seen interest from students she has talked to, and excitement surrounding the demonstration is growing.

“It does make me a little worried to draw attention to campus,” Gonzalez said, “but I feel like it’s something that we can’t ignore or be silent about anymore.”

Organizers are aware that attention from ICE to a college like Maryville could have serious unintended consequences for students.

“I’m cognizant of where we live – a very conservative part of the country,” Humberd said. “I worry that if people around us find out that we are having an anti-ICE demonstration, there could be friction from the community… and [on campus].”

Carden, Gonzalez and Stubbs have all said that they do not expect ICE to be present at this demonstration.

“The policy indicates that only members of the campus community are permitted to participate in on-campus demonstrations. We do not anticipate that local law enforcement will be present, except if called to respond to an emergency or other unexpected incident,” Stubbs said.

“Safety and Security team members, as well as other college officials, will be present for the march and work with the organizers to ensure that things go smoothly,” Stubbs added. “Safety is our top priority, and we will be present to help address any unexpected issues.”

Collaborating with organizers to ensure there are no disruptions to the campus community, Stubbs added, should not be mistaken for endorsement of the protest’s message.

College administration “does not plan to take any positions or issue statements regarding the viewpoints expressed by protest participants,” according to a prepared media statement by College officials.

Gonzalez, acknowledging the behind-the-scenes work that faculty and staff do for students with complicated immigration status, said that the support systems could still be improved.

“It’s important for faculty and staff to show their support vocally,” she said. “[Many students] feel like nobody other than [the Latin Student Alliance] has talked about it publicly and helped them in any way.”

Gonzalez hopes to invite other resources to campus at a later date, including the Knoxville-based nonprofit Centro Hispano, the area’s leading resource for the area’s Latino community, as well as lawyers who may be able to help.

“It’s hard for people to give up their time for free, but we are definitely looking into that,” Gonzalez said.

Additionally, Carden mentioned that organizers are “planning to hold events where we can share more about how to support immigrants, answer questions and engage in respectful discussion about this and other issues.”

For students and community members who are frightened, whose futures in this country are uncertain, or who are experiencing difficulties related to the deportations of loved ones, Gonzalez wants them to know that “there are other people that care about them.”

“In the [current] political climate, it’s especially important for me, as a student who is privileged enough to be documented in this country, to be the voice for students who are undocumented and other people in our community who are scared,” Gonzalez said.

Humberd said that the school’s founder, Rev. Isaac Anderson, urged Scots to “do good on the largest possible scale.”

“Doing good in today’s society involves speaking up against injustice wherever we find it,” he said. “I feel proud about [the protest]. I think it’s good that we are standing up for something and have a voice.”

“This doesn’t happen every day,” Gonzalez added. She hopes that this demonstration will show solidarity and care to the undocumented population, “not only at Maryville College and surrounding areas, but for the undocumented population, period.”

“[I want them] to see that there are people who see the struggle they are going through and there are people who are not afraid to speak out for them.”

Students who wish to show solidarity and stand alongside Gonzalez and Carden are encouraged to make a sign and show up on Pearsons’ lawn at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

“I look forward to seeing our students engage in a civil, peaceful demonstration,” Stubbs said.

Promotional flyer advertising the student-led demonstration against ICE and political violence taking place at noon on campus, Wednesday Feb. 25

Courtesy of Leilani Carden (‘27)

Samples of judicial vs. administrative warrants, wherein ICE can legally enter one’s home or is not legally allowed to enter one’s home.

Courtesy of Leilani Carden (‘27)