FIU Investigates Students Over Anti-ICE Protest

On March 13, Florida International University’s (FIU) Modesto A. Maidique Campus hosted a “fireside chat” between university president Jeanette Nuñez and retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez. While dozens of students and faculty gathered outside to chant against the university’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), nearly twenty student protesters took a quieter approach inside.

Roughly 40 minutes into the event, as Nuñez and Rodriguez spoke, the group stood up inside the auditorium and unzipped their jackets to reveal matching white T-shirts emblazoned with “ICE OFF FIU” in red lettering, recalls Andrew Caro, a 22-year-old FIU senior. Caro says he and the others were part of a group called ICEbreakers FIU, which has been rallying against the university’s controversial ICE agreement, which essentially deputizes FIU police as immigration officers.

“It was a very silent demonstration,” Caro tells New Times. “There were no chants, no boos, nothing disruptive. It was just us showing the shirts, showing the messaging, demonstrating that we were against ICE on FIU campus.”

While the protest appeared to end without any issues, several students who participated — including Caro — say they later received letters from the university informing them they were under investigation for possible student conduct violations.

Six students received letters from FIU stating that the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity was investigating whether they violated university rules by failing to “comply with a request or directive of a University Official or non-University law enforcement official in the performance of their duty” during the March 13 protest, according to copies of the letters provided to New Times and an Instagram post from ICEbreakers FIU.

The group wrote in the Instagram post that “PRESSING CHARGES FOR PROTESTS IS BS.”

“I, myself, know in my heart I did absolutely nothing wrong,” Caro says. “I am simply trying to participate and advocate and be active in efforts towards helping my community be safe, because at an international university, ICE has no place here.”

As the students were leaving the auditorium, they were confronted by an FIU police officer who asked to see their IDs and said their demonstration violated university rules, says Kaitlyn Daley, a 20-year-old FIU sophomore. Daley says faculty members who protested with the group pushed back on the officer’s demands and asked whether the students were free to leave. The officer said they could.

According to FIU’s student conduct and honor code, the alleged violations could lead to suspension or expulsion from the university.

Both Daley and Caro see the investigations as an intimidation tactic by the university.

Moreover, Daley says it’s telling that the protesters are facing the same level of discipline as FIU students who were members of a racist group chat that surfaced last month. The university’s investigation into members of the racist group chat appears to be ongoing, roughly six weeks after its contents were revealed.

“It’s just insane that we are facing the same level of consequences as these students who were calling for violence among their peers, and all we did was peacefully, silently, protest and speak our mind about an issue that’s important to us,” Daley says.

A spokesperson for FIU did not respond to New Times‘ requests for comment via email and text message.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the officer told the students they could leave, after students reviewed footage and realized their request had been granted.