Around 100 students gathered in front of Geisel Library on April 9 at 12 p.m. to rally against the Trump administration’s recent revocations of international students’ visas, including six students at UC San Diego.
The protest consisted of approximately an hour of speeches, followed by a trip to downtown San Diego to deliver a letter to federal judges urging them to stop Trump’s targeting of international students.
Speakers at the rally included students and representatives from organizations such as Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx Por Activismo, Students’ Civil Liberties Union, and College Democrats at UC San Diego. Many raised concerns about the government infringing on the freedom of speech of non-citizen students.
While non-citizens technically have First Amendment rights protecting their freedom of speech and assembly, the State Department has wide discretion in revoking visas. Various attorneys and legal experts have said that the government is targeting students affiliated with pro-Palestine protests or students who have a previous criminal record. The UCSD Guardian cannot verify any particular reason why the six students at UCSD were targeted.
Aryan Dixit, president of SCLU, spoke to the crowd about the Trump administration’s actions toward non-citizens.
“Right now the [Trump] administration has continuously been affecting us, ostracizing us, restricting our ability to speak, to act,” Dixit said. “Instagram likes, posts, and shares are now considered anti-national behavior.”
During his speech, Dixit held up several anonymous letters written by fellow students who were afraid of losing their visas if they engaged in protest.
“[These letters are] from students who can’t be here because they fear that if they show up, if they’re photographed, if they’re taped in any form or way, the United States administration is going to cancel their visas,” Dixit said.
A representative from MEChA also spoke at the rally and highlighted the significance of the Trump administration’s attacks on freedom of speech.
“There is no freedom unless all of us are free,” the MEChA representative said. “Any weapons of power that they use on one community, they have been proven to be willing to use against others for a long time.”
Daniel Soria, a member of SCLU, was the protest’s final speaker.
“We are outraged, and we have every right to be,” Soria said. “But more than anger, we carry within us a profound resolve because this fight is more than just about five students. It’s about who we are as people.”
Soria ended his speech and the rally by summarizing the motivations of many protestors.
“Some will say that we are naive,” he said. “But remember that we act with love, with reason, with compassion, and those, my friends, are the most powerful forces that we have.”
