Hundreds of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students left their classes at noon Thursday for the “ICE Out Walkout.”
The organized protest was an effort to stand in solidarity with Minnesota and to protest the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Hawaiʻi.
Many students expressed their concerns about the violence and aggression they’ve seen from federal officers, referring to the two U.S. citizens who were shot and killed by federal agents this month.
Juventino Gutierrez helped organize the protest and represented the Latinos Unidos club on campus.
“Youth voices are the voices that you want to hear right now. Youth voices are no different from adult voices — we all are affected by issues like this, our neighbors getting taken away, our families getting taken away,” Gutierrez said.
“This is not a new issue. We had a similar protest like this back in 2011 for the same reasons. So we're kind of continuing this legacy at this moment, and we want UH Mānoa to be a safe space for our immigrant community.”
Students passed out fliers that contained the number to the Oʻahu Rapid Response Coalition and the Immigration Detention Hotline.
Hema Watson, Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa president, spoke on the steps of the campus center to a crowd of nearly 400 students and faculty members. Many carried signs stating “ICE out of native land”, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and “Money for people’s needs, not for war machines.”
“UH admin should protect all students, no matter race or creed or opinion or belief,” Watson said. “UH needs to empower students by allowing them the freedom to do exactly what we are doing here today.”
UH reported that there has been no ICE presence on any of its 10 campuses. The university's website has a section directing faculty and professors on how to react if officers were to visit.
“Your role is to keep the class/students safe and calm and refer officials to the proper university authorities,” the website states. “Stay calm, stay respectful, request credentials, do not grant access, contact campus authorities immediately, protect student privacy, and document the encounter.”
