Editor’s Note: Some sources have chosen to stay anonymous due to safety and privacy concerns. City on a Hill Press is committed to maintaining the safety of the undocumented community and mixed-status families.
Marching past McHenry Library and down the cracked asphalt of Hagar Drive, a large crowd rallied from the Academic Resource Center (ARC) to the base of campus. Handmade signs and printed placards, bearing both English and Spanish, rose above them. Amongst the dozens of signs in the air, one read:
“Fund education, not deportation.
No dejaremos de luchar.”
“Fund education, not deportation.
We will not stop fighting.”
The organizers of the event began their rally, titled El Movimiento de UCSC: Walkout Against Mass Deportations, on Feb. 18. The march was organized by two campus groups that advocate for the rights of the undocumented community, Improve the Dreams, Equity, Access, and Success (IDEAS) and the newly-formed organization El Movimiento.
With a megaphone, organizers and community members spoke to the crowd in the ARCenter quad describing their experiences as undocumented students and demanding justice for the undocumented community. Photos 1,3 by Kyle James Allemand. Photo 2 by Reggie Sasaki.
Before the march began, a flood of people spilled into the ARCenter quad and onto the grassy field. Within 20 minutes, the crowd swelled from 70 to over 150 attendees. At 11 a.m., a crackle from a megaphone marked the event’s kickoff and the crowd parted, forming a circle to give space for speakers.
“We’re gathered not just as individuals but as a collective, united, standing in solidarity for a cause that affects any one of us. The need for change is more urgent than ever in this political climate — where voices like ours have been long ignored, silenced and overlapped,” an organizer of the event announced. “Today we walk out peacefully, powerfully and with clear resolve. We demand justice for the undocumented community, for those who have been treated as invisible in the spaces they belong.”
An organizer held up a sign demanding the university take action and support the undocumented community. Other organizers read the student demands aloud and passed them around on slips of paper along with red cards explaining undocumented individuals’ rights.
The demands were:
- Establish physical and permanent space for the undocumented students and our community
- Guarantee housing for undocumented students
- Provide funding and equitable work opportunities
- Secure basic needs and food resources for undocumented students
- Train staff and faculty to understand the undocumented student experience and national and state policies affecting us
- Provide immediate access to emergency funds
Carrying a sign with the demands, the protestors march down Hagar Drive. Photo by Kyle James Allemand.
“We envision more of a [physical] community space on campus. Every single other UC campus has an Undocu-Corner or undocumented space for their undocumented student programs, except for UC Santa Cruz,” an organizer said in an interview with City on a Hill Press. “We’ve been demanding this since pre-pandemic … With everything going on, now’s the time we need it more.”
Sources informed City on a Hill Press of ongoing communication between student organizers and administration with regards to the walkout demands. As of publication date, student leaders are currently awaiting a response from the administration.
Protestors march through McHenry Road and Steinhart Way holding signs above their heads. Photo 1 by Kyle James Allemand. Photos 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 by Reggie Sasaki.
Around 11:30 a.m., organizers announced they would begin marching to the Quarry Plaza. Passing McHenry Library and Classroom Unit 1, attendees held up signs and shouted multiple different chants, including:
“El pueblo unido jamás será vencido.”
“The people united will never be divided.”
As their chanting and marching echoed across campus, the crowd continued to expand. More than 250 people had gathered by the time the rally arrived at the Quarry Plaza. Six individuals spoke to the crowd through a megaphone.
Holding handmade signs or ones brought by local activist groups, protesters joined chants directed by organizers. Photos 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 by Kyle James Allemand. Photos 1, 3, 8 by Reggie Sasaki.
“We come here as allies, community members and organizers to object to mass deportations across the United States that deem our undocumented loved ones and community as dangerous and violent,” one speaker said. “We are here to promote the mobilization of our communities and fight for justice.”
The final speaker was micha cárdenas, an associate professor in the critical race and ethnic studies (CRES) department. She shared her unwillingness to stop fighting, especially in her workplace.
“If ICE comes here, I will not comply. [If] they ask for information, I will not comply,” she said. “Our classrooms are called ‘limited access spaces,’ so even though Trump wants to say there’s no sanctuary spaces anymore, fuck that!”
Exiting Quarry Plaza, protesters walked along Hagar Drive following a 87 Pontiac Firebird and a C5 Corvette brought by protestors. Photos 1, 2, 4, 5 by Kyle James Allemand. Photo 3 by Reggie Sasaki.
Following the last speech at the Quarry Plaza, the rally began marching down to the base of campus. Protestors filled the right side of the street, resuming their chants and holding up signs.
“I’m here because my grandma got deported, my uncle got deported and my entire family is a family of immigrants and hardworking farmworkers that brought their children to this country and raised architects, doctors, teachers and nurses that help run this country,” said Kiara, one of the students in attendance. “I’m here protesting for their rights, for other immigrant families, for Palestine, for LGBTQ groups and for anybody that is minoritized and oppressed in this country, especially by Trump’s — I can’t even call it a democracy — by Trump’s agenda.”
At 12:55 p.m., protestors turned onto Coolidge Drive passing a parked UCSC PD cruiser. Photos 1, 3 by Kyle James Allemand. Photo 2 by Reggie Sasaki.
One of the event’s organizers voiced concerns about the university’s lack of sufficient support towards the undocumented community, referencing an email Chancellor Cynthia Larive sent out on Feb. 3 titled “Resources for undocumented members of our campus community.”
“For us and our undocumented students, they are tired of that same information, which is why they have their list of demands,” the event organizer said.
City on a Hill Press reached out to Scott Hernandez-Jason, the assistant vice-chancellor of communications and marketing, for the university’s response to the rally. At the time of publication, Hernandez-Jason has not provided a response.
After arriving at the base of campus, protestors placed their signs and banners onto the University of California Santa Cruz sign. Photos by Kyle James Allemand.
At 1 p.m., organizers gathered under tented tables and passed out food and water. Attendees mingled in the grassy area in front of the UCSC sign, laying down picnic blankets and dancing to upbeat songs in Spanish. Organizations including Jews Against White Supremacy UCSC, Revolutionary Student Organization – Santa Cruz, People’s Aid Santa Cruz, Students for Justice in Palestine at Santa Cruz and others participated in a “community organizing mixer,” distributing reading materials and chatting amongst themselves. Groups of people also took their signs and marched on the intersection’s crosswalk, chanting as they walked.
Protestors holding signs and walking around the Bay Drive and High Street intersection crosswalks. Photos 2, 4 by Kyle James Allemand. Photos 1, 3, 5, 6 by Reggie Sasaki.
The six-hour event included an open mic, allowing anyone to speak to the crowd about their experiences. The rally concluded with a performance from Los Mejicas and ended around 5 p.m. However, the community made it clear that their fight was not over. 
Wearing practice folklorico skirts, performers from Los Mejicas danced to songs from the Mexican states of Jalisco, Veracruz, Nayarit, Colima, and Tamaulipas. Photo by Reggie Sasaki.
“We will continue to stand with our undocumented communities and uplift and empower them,” an organizer said through a megaphone. “Today, we stand loud and proud for our loved ones that we left at home who are fighting for the same battle we are today … We carry them with us as we stand here together.”
Resources for Undocumented Individuals:
IDEAS can be reached from their Instagram, @ideasucsc
USS is located on the second floor of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) building, room 216; they are also reachable by phone, (831) 459-2296, via email, eopab540@ucsc.edu, and their Instagram, @undocuslugs.
Chicanx and Latinx educandose (ChALE), is a student-run peer retention center that serves the Chicanx and Latine community. They can be reached through their Instagram, @e2.chale
El Movimiento is a student-led organization dedicated to encouraging education and honoring undocumented community history. They are reachable via Instagram, @elmovimiento_ucsc
USS’ “Beyond Borders E-Zine” offers more resources and programs, including legal services, basic needs, annual events, student-led workshops and counseling.
Your Allied Rapid Response (YARR) in Santa Cruz County aims to prevent ICE from reaching the undocumented community. In case of an ICE or enforcement sighting, they can be reached by their hotline number at (831) 239-4289.
The Santa Cruz Immigration Project (SCCIP) provides free services for undocumented communities, including legal consultations. They can be reached at (831) 724-5667.
For students facing a domestic violence situation, the Center for Advocacy, Resources & Empowerment (CARE) offers complete confidentiality to students who are in need of assistance. They can be reached at this number (831) 502-CARE (2273) and located at Hahn Student Services, 400 Hahn Road, Suite 104, Santa Cruz, CA.
