“No work, no school, no shopping” was the mantra of a nationwide anti-Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) strike on Friday, Jan. 30. In light of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti earlier this month, hundreds people across the country gathered in protests and boycotted major businesses to show resistance to the increasingly unpopular presence of ICE in states like Minnesota and Maine.
Tallahassee students have been vocal about their opposition to ICE. Yesterday, in line with the national movement, the Florida State University chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) held a “March on Admin” rally to oppose FSU’s “complacency with ICE.”
The march saw a large crowd of students and Tallahassee locals gather at the Integration Statue near FSU’s Student Union, beginning the protest with a rally of speakers. The main focus of the event was FSU’s signing of the 287(g) agreement.
The 287(g) agreement allows local law enforcement, including the FSU Police Department (FSUPD), to perform specialized ICE functions under the agency’s oversight. FSU is believed to have signed the agreement in late 2025.
“FSU quietly signed the 287G agreement, which delegates ICE powers to FSUPD, and refuses to acknowledge it because they know ICE does not make anyone feel safer,” YDSA said to the FSView in a statement. “They terrorize civilians and murder people on the streets. It’s only a matter of time before they do so to students; and so, to protect students, we demand an end to administration’s collaboration with ICE.”
Protesters prevented from delivering student petition to FSU admin by FSUPD
A key part of the march and protest was a student petition calling for the end of the ICE agreement on campus. Protesters marched from the Integration Statue to the Westcott building, which houses FSU administration, with the intent of delivering it directly to key FSU leaders.
“We’re here to try to lead the struggle against ICE on campus, and we know that FSU has signed the 287(g) agreement, which would allow the police to act as ICE agents on campus,” Vice President of Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Kaiden Rosa said to the FSView. SDS helped facilitate the march alongside YDSA.
After arriving at Westcott, the event’s organizers attempted to deliver the petition by entering the doors of Westcott, which were blocked by FSUPD inside.
“The doors to Westcott were being guarded and blocked by multiple police officers who refused to let even one of our representatives in to deliver our demands and petition,” YDSA said to the FSView after the event concluded. “We were informed by the Dean of Student Affairs that we would not be allowed to even hand in our petition for it to be passed on to the proper individuals.”
Dean of Student Affairs Carlos Gómez was present outside of Westcott with other administrators and FSUPD officers. He told the FSView that he had spoken with the YDSA organizers regarding their free speech rights on campus.
After chanting and demanding entrance for about five minutes, the protesters left the doors of Westcott and dispersed the protest.
“[Gómez’s] solution to the obvious issue of our protest and our students’ voices being curbed and ignored was to offer another meeting with us on Monday where we would have a chance at finally delivering the signatures the march intended to deliver,” YDSA said to the FSView. “There, a YDSA and SDS representative will further push for the rescinding of the 287G agreement.”
FSU students remain vocal about ICE
The protest against ICE is one of many that have occurred in Tallahassee over the past month. On Jan. 27, Tallahassee Immigrants Rights Alliance (TIRA) organized an emergency rally outside the County Commission. On Jan. 7, several Tallahassee-based organizations held a vigil and rally in honor of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minnesota. Both events also discussed the presence of the 287(g) agreement in Tallahassee.
“My issue is that ICE is acting unconstitutionally. It’s a matter of fact that in the Constitution, the specific words used are ‘people,’ not ‘U.S. citizens,’” FSU student Brody Mills said to the FSView on the walk to Westcott. “Regardless, they aren’t just affecting noncitizens.”
Despite not delivering the petition, organizers are determined to complete their mission of ending 287(g) on campus.
“This is not the end, we have so much to fight for,” YDSA organizers said at the conclusion of the event.
Michaela Galligan is the News Editor for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.
This article originally appeared on FSU News: YDSA, other organizations march on FSU campus against ICE agreement
Reporting by Michaela Galligan, News Editor, FSView / FSU News
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