TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and nearby residents gathered Friday afternoon at the University of Arizona to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, joining a wave of demonstrations taking place nationwide.
The rally began on the university mall, where participants listened to speeches before marching toward downtown Tucson to join other planned protests. The demonstration reflected growing opposition to federal immigration enforcement tactics during the Trump administration, particularly the use of federal agents in U.S. cities.
“We’re organizing besides the whole nation, to get ice out of our communities,” said Audrey Zelinka, a spokesperson for Students for Socialism and one of the event’s organizers.
Zelinka said the protest drew a broad cross-section of the campus community, underscoring widespread concern about immigration enforcement and civil liberties.
“Pretty massive student turnout, alongside a turnout of educators," she said. "A lot of businesses have shut down. A lot of U of A staff and faculty have felt like they have to come out."
The University of Arizona demonstration came as protests were being held in multiple cities across the country, following heightened scrutiny of ICE operations and broader debates over immigration policy. Tucson, a border community with longstanding ties to immigration issues, has frequently been a focal point for such activism.
Not everyone on campus chose to participate. Joshua Claar, a University of Arizona senior, said he supported the right to protest while remaining personally neutral.
“I am neither for nor against it. I fully support my colleagues' rights to use their First Amendment rights that are granted by the Constitution,” Claar said.
Claar also criticized what he described as increasing political polarization surrounding national politics.
“I saw democrats saying Trump is a fascist, I saw republicans saying Biden is a fascist, and neither of them are even close to what a fascist dictator would be,” he said.
Despite differing viewpoints, many demonstrators said they felt compelled to act, hoping their message would reach federal leaders.
“The recent ramp-up has been absolutely unconscionable, and we felt that we had to come out here and say something about it,” Zelinka said.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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