“Campus, not prison!”
That was the rallying cry across FAU’s Boca Raton campus on Friday, Sept. 5, as more than 100 students gathered to protest the university’s agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I’m [protesting] because I’m the daughter of two immigrants, and without them and their hard work and risking their lives to get here, I would not be here,” said Sheryl Dezeme, an undergraduate majoring in Political Science and Theatre. “I’m here to support my fellow immigrants.”
The protest brought together students and community members who marched on the breezeway to the Kenneth R. Williams Administration Building. Demonstrators carried signs and chanted “We’re stronger together!” and “President, not Politician!” alongside their central call: “Campus, not Prison!” Nearly thirty armed police officers were present throughout the protest, monitoring the march as students made their way across campus.
The student-led protest was powered by a collection of student groups and organizations, including Icebreakers FAU, FAU College Democrats, Youth Action Fund, and more.
The 287(g) Agreement
On July 24, FAU’s Police Department voluntarily entered into ICE’s “task force model” 287(g) agreement. This program gives campus police the authority to question, detain, fingerprint, and process anyone they suspect is undocumented.
Those detained would be transferred to the nearest ICE detention center, the Broward Transitional Center, operated by the private prison company GEO Group.
As Student Government Senate Pro-Tempore, Dezeme highlighted safety concerns for students:
“I want to advocate for the students who don’t feel safe and coming to a University, you’re supposed to feel safe and trusted. The police officers are supposed to make you feel safe, and [the 287(g) agreement] is endangering our safety, and that is not okay, and obviously, the racial profiling is going to be a big problem, and we should be focused on our education, not if we are going to be picked up and hauled away.”
The GEO Group has long been criticized for its treatment of detainees. In April, a 44-year-old woman died after reportedly being denied medical care at the Broward Transitional Center.
GEO Group Connections at FAU
Several FAU leaders have direct ties to GEO Group. University President Adam Hasner, who assumed office in March, previously worked as GEO’s Executive Vice-President of Public Policy for nearly nine years.
Board of Trustees member Pablo Paez has spent more than 22 years at GEO, currently serving as Executive Vice-President of Corporate Relations. Christopher Ferreira, FAU Alumni Association Chair, has been GEO’s Director of Corporate Relations for more than nine years.
“It’s messed up. Students shouldn’t fear going to class every day,” said Lauren Reynolds, an undergraduate majoring in Psychology and founder of Icebreakers FAU, a group supported by the Florida Youth Action Fund.
Reynolds went on to describe how there is “money in it” with the history GEO Group has with “accessing every facet of FAU,” pointing to the attempt to name the Flagler Credit Union Stadium after the GEO Group in 2013, to a former GEO executive, Adam Hasner, taking FAU’s Presidency earlier this year.
Reynolds also elaborated on longstanding ties between FAU leadership and GEO, including Paez and Ferreira, as well as GEO founder George Zoley, who previously served as an FAU Trustee and Chairman.
Students and community members argue that these connections raise questions of conflict of interest, particularly since ICE itself emphasizes that 287(g) agreements are entirely voluntary, according to their website.
Voices of Opposition
For some, the protest was about protecting FAU’s diverse student population.
“FAU has one of the largest international student bodies in the entirety of Florida,” said Nicholas Ostheimer, an undergraduate majoring in Political Science and President of FAU’s College Democrats. “ICE exists not for immigration enforcement, but to terrorize innocent people who are trying to get their education. We hope to pressure the University in ending the 287(G) agreement…”
For others, the protest was simply about getting something “harmful” off of campus.
“We think [ICE being on campus] is harmful to the broader FAU community, and we’re here to make a difference and hopefully end the agreement,” said Alexi Lambridis, an undergraduate majoring in Political Science and Vice-President of FAU’s College Democrats.
Counterpoint from Turning Point USA
Nick Coyte, an undergraduate majoring in Political Science and President of Turning Point USA at FAU, said his group attended the protest to “clear some stuff up.”
“A lot of people out here protesting don’t know what ICE is or what ICE does, so we want to make sure everybody has an understanding of what’s being said before we get too excited.”
Coyte argued that ICE’s mission extends beyond deportations.
“ICE is Immigration Customs Enforcement, and they don’t just deal in deportations. [The signs from the Florida Democrat Club] comparing ICE to the Gestapo and the SS… is so off the beaten path. The Gestapo would show up at your door, no masks, and they would take you on the street, and sometimes just shoot you there dead on the spot; that is not even close to what ICE is doing. What [ICE] is doing isn’t limited to deportations. They combat drug trafficking… human trafficking, sex trafficking, gun trafficking, so on and so forth. To suggest that they are wholly here to goof at immigrants in particular is not the full story.”
He also defended FAU’s cooperation with ICE.
“FAU has elected to cooperate with the federal government, and FAU is a state institution that receives federal funds. If [FAU] doesn’t cooperate with the federal government, [FAU] doesn’t receive federal funds anymore. If you want a solid nation, you must first establish secure borders… [Being expressly opposed to borders] is absurd and is coming from a place of ignorance.”
Lambridis went on to express disappointment at the presence of conservative student group Turning Point USA at the protest:
“It is really depressing from a humanizing standpoint because at the end of the day, people are trying to get [an education] and [Turning Point] is [here] to make a mockery out of that, and I think it is really disappointing, even from a conservative liberal standpoint.”
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