A rally on the UCLA campus emerged Thursday in support of a student who was detained by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico.
Students and faculty organizers said that the woman detained in San Ysidro is an international graduate student at UCLA with an F-1 visa.
“UCLA has learned that an international graduate student was detained by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while attempting to enter the United States from Mexico. The student remains in the custody of CBP and we are actively working to learn more information. Our international students are an essential part of our Bruin community, and we remain fully committed to supporting their ability to learn and thrive at UCLA,” wrote the university.
According to an associate professor, the student, who has not been identified, has not been able to speak to an attorney.
“Their attorney has filed the forms to see them, and they have not been allowed access so far, and for that reason, I can’t share with you a lot more information about what’s happened,” said Graeme Blair, associate professor of political science at UCLA.
Demonstrators at the rally said they will not stay quiet while fellow students are under attack.
“We all knew this was coming. We knew about the students at Tufts who were unjustly kidnapped and honestly it just left me disgusted at what’s happening here,” said Kat Edmiston, UCLA student. “We stand up we will stand up for our fellow students and we will try and advocate because it’s wrong and we can’t just sit by and let it happen.”
The uncertainty comes after visas across the UC system, six of those from UCLA students, were revoked as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown.
“I have to talk to my students who are noncitizens and they are terrified and I’m terrified for them because of the capricious nature of US immigration policy right now,” said Blair.
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