‘Fear on campus’ University of Oregon students advocate for ICE alerts

A dozen speakers took the microphone at the “A Day Without Immigrants” rally on the front steps of Johnson Hall at the University of Oregon on Feb. 16.

It was the third “Day Without Migrants” demonstration in a series that culminates on International Workers’ Day on May 1.

Two hundred participants gathered on the slope leading up to the university’s administration building to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Eugene and nationwide. Students, staff, faculty and community members called on UO leaders to take action by using the UO Alert System to notify ICE or campus when they are near.

“I’m scared, I’m angry, I’m tired, but now is not the time to face despair,” said Isabelle E., a student at the UO Young Democratic Socialists of America. “It is time to act, to fight back, and to demand that this university fulfill its moral duty to protect its students, its faculty and its city.”

Several student groups helped organize the rally, including YDSA, UO’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MECHA), UO student activists and the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation. Faculty and staff members including representatives of the Party for Socialism and Liberation were also present in Eugene.

UO students want alert system used for ICE raids

UO student and MECHA member Xiomara Andrade stepped forward to speak on behalf of MECHA President Maria Gaspar. She talked about how recent UO alerts about “water gel beads,” commonly known as orbs, being shot at pedestrians near campus, sent out on Feb. 9, are going out. Andrade called the warning “insulting.” She criticized the university’s lack of ICE alerts, saying the UO’s administration cares more about its public image than its students.

“We need these alerts and we need them now,” Andrade said. “(Students) are looking over their shoulders instead of focusing on their futures. At MECHA, we work with our immigrant and Latino communities every day. We’re not just looking at data, we’re looking into the eyes of our peers and seeing fear grow daily.”

Cultural Center for Hispanic and Latino Students

UO students also called for a Latino Cultural Center, a center specifically for the Hispanic and Latino student population, similar to the Black Cultural Center. While a multicultural center exists, students say the space fills up quickly and isn’t enough for collaboration between Latino-serving student groups on campus. Latino and Hispanic students are the second largest demographic at the UO after white students. According to UO data from winter 2026, 17% of undergrads are Hispanic/Latino, while 60% of undergrads are white.

Toby Cole, a UO transfer student involved in YDSA and MECHA, said he came to the rally to find community. Cole, who grew up in Southern California, said it was a big shock at first to come to a predominantly white institution, but he has been able to find community through groups like MECHA. He said there are many Latino students and some faculty, but he would like to see more resources from the university itself.

“The Latino student presence is strong, and it’s healthy, but we haven’t been given room to grow,” Cole said. “I think that’s the main thing that we’re really trying to fight for.”

Cole said Latino faculty are doing what they can to support students, but Cole wants to see a Latino student specialist in the UO’s mental health counseling office, like staff psychologist Dr. Cecil Gadson, an African American/Black student specialist.

At Monday’s rally, Cole said it’s been powerful to see they’re not alone as they see all their friends who feel the same fear, but are willing to take action to make change.

“There’s a really big fear on campus, but there’s also a lot of power coming out,” Cole said. “There’s a lot of solidarity. Students who aren’t Latino, who aren’t immigrants, who aren’t people of color come together and say, ‘Hey, you’re my neighbor, you’re my classmate, you’re my friend. I’m going to protect you.’

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her at X @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared in the Register-Guard: University of Oregon students want cultural center, ICE alerts