By Grant Terwilliger
On Friday, March 6 at the Amitié Plaza, Fuerza: The BIPOC Student Union, and the Lambda Pi Upsilon sorority held an organized ICE-out solidarity walk, inviting students of all backgrounds to unify.
Next to Amitié Plaza’s statue of two people shaking hands, student activists spoke out against the current political climate and the challenges that immigrants and citizens are facing in the country.
“Today symbolizes our commitment to justice, compassion and human rights for all. We are all human, a political label should never be used as an excuse to dehumanize or unjustly attack someone,” Philanthropist for Fuerza Sofia Tabares said. “You don’t know the lives of anybody else and the lives that are being affected right now of immigrants, and legal citizens as well. An attack on one can quickly become an attack on all. Stay informed, stay active and most importantly do not stay silent.”
In the spring 2025 semester, two international students at SUNY Plattsburgh had their visas revoked and were deported. All across SUNY students were getting their visas revoked as a result of changes in the federal government’s Student Exchange and Visitor Information System.
“We just wanted to do this for awareness because I personally did not know about that until the NAACP held a meeting,” President of Fuerza Elishua Oviedo said.
Before the solidarity walk began, both Oviedo and Tabares set the intentions for the protest while handing out flyers on US rights. Oviedo and Tabares also laid out some safety guidelines for the solidarity walk regarding the right to free speech and how to deal with counter protesters.
“Just like we have our first amendment right, they have their First Amendment right. Keep it respectful. Do not engage with them. I want to emphasize that, and use your rights; Speak what you want to say,” Tabares said.
The main speakers at the solidarity walk were Oviedo, Tabares and Vice President of Lambda Pi Upsilon Lanija Williams. Williams emphasized the importance of staying together during difficult times and using your voice to make a positive change in the world.
“We have community. We have people. You’re the people.You’re the people in our Constitution. Don’t forget that. Don’t let them take that from you, not once, not ever,” Williams said. “Make sure that you’re using your voices because you are the youth. Remember that the voices of tomorrow start with the voices of today.”
The organization of the ICE protest began in mid February with Fuerza reaching out to the University Police for safety. UP worked with Fuerza on the possible routes and time frames.
“I’ve been working with fuerza to make sure that this goes safely, we have a bunch of police here,” said University Police Chief Patrick Rascoe.
The protest route ran from Amitié Plaza to Harrington Hall, Clinton Dining hall and then across the street past whiteface and back to Amitié Plaza next to the Angell College Center.
Some people wore protest shirts while other people carried signs during the protest. Several chants were used such as “We want justice, we want peace, we want ice off our streets” and “no Justice, no peace.” The event garnered more than 80 people at the height of the protest.
At the end of the solidarity walk, speeches were held at a podium in Amitié Plaza in front of the ACC. Tabares emphasized the importance of the solidarity walk and the impact that it has on not only her, but the community as a whole.
“I was born here, but the climate that we are in makes me uneasy even though I have nothing to be uneasy about,” Tabares said. “I’m just beyond proud of everything, and it was very warming to see the turnout it had and the attention it is getting.”
