Protest erupts at University of Florida after student detained by ICE self-deports

Students at colleges across the country are protesting after other students and staff are detained over their legal status The latest occurrence involves a University of Florida participant who chose to self-deport after traffic stop led to him being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents The Trump administration is cracking down on immigration and expanding the reasons for deportation One population that s been extremely vulnerable to the stern measures are college students It s a troubling trend across the country as colleges are reporting that countless attendee vias are being revoked without reason or warning prompting students to check their via status daily The friction between universities and the cabinet now finding its way to Florida as thousands of students at the University of Florida in Gainesville protested against ICE on Wednesday for deporting one of their peers -year-old Felipe Zapata Velasquez a third year learner at UF was detained by police in late March during a traffic stop Velasquez advised police his F- candidate visa had been terminated because of a lapse in enrollment from when he transferred from Santa Fe Society College in Gainesville to UF He was arrested for driving with a suspended license taken by ICE agents and then sent to Krome Detention Center in Miami where people have complained about the inhumane conditions for detainees Just under a week ago Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava penned a letter to the Homeland Defense secretary expressing her deep worry about new reports of overcrowding and dangerous conditions at the Krome Processing Center in Southwest Miami-Dade and asking for a tour of the facility A few of the dangerous conditions that have been disclosed by various news outlets from those detained inside the facility include inadequate access to water and food unsanitary confinement therapeutic neglect and abuse such as prolonged shackling At this time there s been no updates as to when the mayor is scheduled to tour the facility In a comment executives with U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged the increase in populations at the center and reported they re working on addressing the ceiling issues Velasquez ultimately chose to self-deport back to his home country Colombia Nationwide students are sharing a similar story of knowing a classmate or staff member who have or could be detained on immigration holds at any moment without notice From the University of California in Berkeley on the west coast to Carnegie Melon on the east and from students at the University of Chicago and everywhere in between students are being stripped away from the opportunity to advance their learning various of which are being detained in the middle of an academic term It is upsetting It is sad that the students are having an American dream to evaluation abroad and they are not able to do that anymore explained one woman I just want my life to go back to normal declared one aspirant I want to go back to school finish school I want to you know not have to worry about getting arrested and losing my cats and you know it s the same stuff that everybody wants Not giving the populace information is intentional and honestly in my mind it adds to the horror noted another Democratic lawmakers came down hard on the administration saying the deportations are without due process They want us to believe that they re the patriots of free speech But they re the ones kidnapping and disappearing college students across this country that are just fighting for peace to ensure that innocent people don t die mentioned Rep Maxwell Frost at a rally The Trump administration disclosed visas need to be seen as a privilege and not a right I just think it s crazy to continue to provide visas so people can come here and advocate for policies that are in direct contradiction of our national interest reported US Secretary of State Marco Rubio According to experts under previous administrations Velasquez would have been circulated and placed into deportation proceedings but he never would have been sent to an immigration facility