(VIDEOS) Rally for Undocumented Students WARNS MSU, Demands Sanctuary Campus

Author: Sergei Kelley

Students demanding a sanctuary campus protested outside of MSU’s administration building November 8th.

DreaMSU hosted the rally. Members of this organization met with dozens of other MSU students at the Hannah administration building to call for further immigrant and undocumented student recognition.

They demanded changes from the university, and “whether they like it or not, they will be with us or against us.”

The Morning Watch documented the rally and has provided several videos.

The rally began with a list of demands. After reading MSU’s Land Acknowledgement statement, which addresses MSU’s occupance of Native American lands, president of DreaMSU Shiksha Sneha, expressed her support for MSU becoming a sanctuary school.

Within this demand, a “supportive statement for administrators, resources for undocumented students and to not collect information on student’s citizenship status, and scholarships for students unauthorized to work."

Other demands included the creation of an administrative position and resources to help non-citizen students, including undocumented or DACA students.

Shortly after, students began chanting, “no ban, no wall, America is home to all!”

The recent alleged presence of ICE on campus was brought up by Edwin Jaramillo saying, “it was 3:00AM. I was scared.” He stated he tried to find out what had happened. ICE denied the claims of being on campus later that day.

Jaramillo, a student leader within Culturas De Las Razas Unidas (CRU), called for “equitable changes." Mentioning MSU’s president Samuel Stanley, he pleaded, “at this moment students don’t feel safe.”

Protesters later began chanting again, “Whose school? Our school!”

They also shouted, “say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here.”

Jaramillo further demanded diversity training for faculty and staff and “simple resources,” such as a website at MSU for undocumented students. He was applauded.

James Madison professor Anna Pegler-Gordon stated, “immigrants have always been activists.” She cited their importance of being in the forefront of unions and movements for equality.

At the end of the rally, protesters and signs turned to face the administration building. After several chants, an event organizer warned MSU. “They get to decide which way moving forward they get to go.” What’s happened is“part of the past… we will leave them with the past.”

“They will be against us or with us,” he concluded.

Contributor: Sergei Kelley