UCSC students protest against Trump’s immigration policies

UPDATED 2/2/17 5:30 PM: UC Santa Cruz students ignored today’s rain to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.

Students marched across campus for several hours this morning.

The protest was put together by students from the local Muslim Student Association but it was more than just members of that group that came out today to speak out against the ban.

The protest started small in the pouring rain but, as the march went on, it grew bigger.

“We actually started walking around campus and slowly people began joining in and at the end, it stopped raining around 11:30 PM and we met back in the quarry and there was about, I think a hundred people.” said event organizer Shyaan Khan. Some professors even let students leave class early to join the others. “I was really grateful that my professor right here actually stopped class and said that’s more important right now.” said one student. This protest, put together in just three days, comes as others continue around the country after Trump placed a travel ban on seven Middle Eastern countries. Some people are still having trouble getting into the U.S. In Santa Cruz, speaking out started with an idea from Sabina Wildman late Monday night. “Everywhere people were really organizing against this Muslim ban and so I wanted UC Santa Cruz to do something too, I felt like our history as UC Santa Cruz is the authority on questioning authority” Wildman said. “I wanted that to come true.” Non-Muslim students like Max came out because she felt that protesting is an important action for anyone to stand up for what they believe in. “We need to exercise our power, our voices and our ability, our physical ability to be outside and practicing these things” said Max Jimenez. Sabina planned the event before violent protests broke out Wednesday night at UC Berkeley. Though she agrees everyone should speak their mind, she thinks they should always be peaceful. “That makes it seem like protesters are violent people and maybe some protesters are but not everyone” Wildman said. A representative with UC Santa Cruz says the campus supports students in their First Amendment rights. KION reached out to the group, College Republicans at UCSC to get their take on the protest but did not hear back.

PREVIOUS STORY: Dozens of students at UC Santa Cruz held a protest Thursday over President Trump’s executive orders on immigration and the travel ban.

A Muslim student group organized the demonstration.

More than 100 students took part in the event. The students were also reacting to violent protests at UC Berkeley Wednesday night.

KION’s Zach Fuentes will have more on the message from students and what they want done on KION 5/46 at 5pm.