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UC Berkeley Students March for Undocumented Classmates, Say School Isn’t Doing Enough

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Hundreds of students and supporters rally, in solidarity with their undocumented classmates in response to the mass deportations ordered by the Trump administration at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)

Hundreds of UC Berkeley students are marching through campus on Wednesday afternoon in a show of solidarity with their undocumented classmates as the Trump administration promises to carry out mass deportations.

Protest organizer Hulissa Aguilar said the rally is an example of students showing support for each other — especially in the absence of support from University of California administrators.

“We are fearful right now,” Aguilar said. “As the students of the university that make this university what it is, they should really be addressing those concerns and giving us the support that we need right now.”

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She said many students were directly affected by the ICE raids in Bakersfield earlier this month, and there have been reports of operations in the Bay Area. The uncertainty is striking fear in many students and their families, Aguilar said.

“My main goal in this is just to show the community of immigrants here at Berkeley that they do have a voice and there’s people out here that obviously care for them and want them to succeed,” said sophomore Karen Magana, who helped plan the rally.

Organizers have a list of demands, but Aguilar said the primary goal of the march is to urge the university administration to publicly stand with its undocumented students.

“First is for the university to show some kind of sign of solidarity with the undocumented students at the school, because we have not received anything in our emails or really anything about them addressing it,” Aguilar said.

In 2016, the UC system released a statement of principles in support of undocumented students and community members ahead of Trump’s first term as president.

For example, UC police will not comply with local, state or federal immigration enforcement efforts and will consider undocumented applicants to the university the same as applicants who are citizens. Each campus also provides free legal support for undocumented students, such as access to an attorney.

The university has not updated these principles in the wake of more aggressive immigration policies from the second Trump administration. However, officials updated a FAQ page on Dec. 18 with information about immigration enforcement on its campuses, using information from its 2016 statement of principles.

The UC Office of the President did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Some students see the lack of updated statements as the university choosing to stay silent while the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement, Aguilar said. Magana added that being undocumented can be a particularly alienating experience at a prestigious university like UC Berkeley.

To address these concerns on campus, clubs and student government officials are stepping in to offer support and resources, such as career fairs, town halls and statements of solidarity.

“We planned this very, very last minute … it was just kind of out of necessity,” Aguilar said. “I think that we could really show other schools as well that it’s time that we take action.”

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