UMD community members rally to keep ICE off campus - The Diamondback

About 40 campus community members rallied at Hornbake Plaza on Tuesday to demand that university president Darryll Pines publicly declare the University of Maryland a sanctuary campus.

The “ICE off campus” rally was hosted by this university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter as part of their sanctuary campus campaign. The campaign, which began in September, calls for this university to pledge non-compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to offer resources to immigrant and undocumented students.

“We want the university to make it clear that they’re requiring judicial warrants for ICE to enter private spaces on campus,” Nick Cosgrove, this university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter co-chair, told The Diamondback. “We want them to notify students and staff if ICE is on campus and if any information has been shared with them.”

A surge in immigration raids and enforcement during the second Trump administration has sparked fear nationwide, including on college campuses.

[ Plans for ICE detention center in Hagerstown spark concern among lawmakers, community]

The Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter and a coalition of other campus organizations have urged the university to respond to these concerns. A petition for a sanctuary campus declaration launched in September has garnered more than 3,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

In response to a request for comment from The Diamondback ahead of the rally, this university referred to a campuswide email from February that provided resources and information about how to navigate federal law enforcement on campus.

Guidance from University of Maryland Police notes that federal agents are allowed to enter public areas on campus without permission from the university, but that UMPD does not enforce federal immigration laws or partner with ICE. The university has protocols in place for if federal agents try to enter non-public areas, which includes contacting UMPD and the Office of General Counsel.

Tuesday’s rally featured speeches from student organizers and professors, including Ana Ndumu, an assistant professor at the information college.

“A university should not be a place of higher learning if it’s a place of high terror,” she said in a speech. “We are not asking for a favor. We’re not asking for concessions. We’re demanding safety.”

Cosgrove, a sophomore American studies and communication major, also demanded that this university restore a webpage with resources from its Immigrant and Undocumented Student Life office.

[ Prince George’s County Council proposes emergency bills combating ICE activity]

The page disappeared from Stamp Student Union’s website this summer, The Diamondback previously reported. The university wrote in a statement to The Diamondback in September that the immigrant and undocumented student resources are now integrated into the Thrive Center for Essential Needs.

Jyaire Matthews attended the rally because he thinks declaring the university a sanctuary campus would make everybody on campus feel safer.

“We have a very diverse campus, and it’s very important to stand up for everybody [that’s] a part of the campus and to make sure everybody in this campus feels safe,” the freshman anthropology and government and politics major said.

Arlo Lentini, a member of the university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, said the university needs to publicly declare non-compliance with federal immigration enforcement.

“We’re such a big school and we have such a large international population,” the freshman sociology major said. “And the university really proclaims to care about people and say that they’re going to keep people safe.”

The university can’t truly support students without declaring itself a sanctuary campus, they emphasized.