In response to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions nationwide, San Diego City College students, staff and faculty joined with community groups to rally against ICE activity in San Diego on Feb. 12.
The action began on campus with approximately 100 participants chanting, “Get out of our schools, get out of our community, get out of our city,” at the AH-Free Speech Zone near the corner of 16th and C streets.
Participants filled the entire quad, spilling onto the stairs and the sidewalk surrounding the area. Some held signs with anti-ICE slogans, while others carried Mexican and Filipino flags.
It ended with ralliers marching for over 40 minutes to the John Rhoades Federal Plaza, walking nearly a mile from campus.
Following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE, students at every level nationwide have held coordinated walkouts since late January.
San Diego joined cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago in protesting the immigration enforcement crackdown nationwide.
As of Fall 2025, 49% of the student population at City College identified as Latine, according to the City College student profile.
“I’m Mexican, I have descendants, I have family,” said Benjamin Rodriguez, a business student at City. “And even if I wasn’t, I don’t think it’s right for masked people, you know, to be taking our neighbors illegally.”
While a police presence was nonexistent at the start on campus, as marchers began to walk from City College toward the John Rhoades Federal Plaza, two San Diego Police Department patrol cars followed behind them with sirens off.
Students for Justice in Palestine co-chair Serina Cuza got the rally started at the steps of the AH-Free Speech Zone.
“When our schools are under attack, what do we do?” Cuza chanted. “Stand up, fight back.”
Cuza led chants and called for clear communication on how the San Diego Community College District staff and faculty are expected to handle ICE, rapid response training by community coalitions in the case of ICE activity on campus and a freeze on license plate readers used by City College parking enforcement.
Following fears of ICE on SDCCD campuses, Chancellor Greg Smith sent an email to the district community on Feb. 9 alerting recipients that each college plans to hold exercises over the course of the spring semester to test protocols should immigration agents attempt to access campuses.
“We want our faculty to be trained by our own community,” Cuza said. “That way we know that they’re trusted, and that they’re vetted people that are training them.”
Ralliers were urged to get involved with campus and community defense groups, including the Community Self Defense Coalition of Union Del Barrio and the City Heights Defense Committee.
“We need to learn and understand what (Minnesotans) did and continue to develop our methods here,” said Justin Akers, a Chicano/a/x Studies professor. “Because even though (ICE have) been set back in Minnesota, they’re still going to continue, regroup and attack other cities. So we must be prepared.”
Organizers invited representatives from City’s Undocumented Resource Center, KNSJ Community Radio Station and the Community Self Defense Coalition of Union Del Barrio to give speeches alongside faculty from the Chicano/a/x and Black Studies departments.
“We need a united effort to end the people who are trying to create the final steps of a dictatorship in this country,” said Martin Eder, news director of KNSJ. “And we’re not just talking about Trump. We’re talking about the whole damn system.”
A group of students and faculty created the Emergency Response Committee in response to fears of ICE activity at City.
The group works as the eyes and ears of the campus, according to Marco Guajardo, co-chair of Students for Justice in Palestine at City College.
“We have to be vigilant everywhere, because it’s not a matter of time, right?” Guajardo said. “It’s not a matter of if, but when.”
If you are interested in receiving alerts about ICE activity on campus, you can join the Signal group here.
For immigration resources at City, visit the Undocumented Resource Center in L-116, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This story was edited by Tresean Osgood and Itzel Martinez.
Editor’s note: City Times Media has updated its style guide to standardize the use of the word Chicane and/or Latine when referring to people together who identify as a person from, or whose ancestors were from, a Latin American land or culture. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends using the word Chicano/Latino.
Martin Eder • Feb 18, 2026 at 12:31 am
Nadia Lavin’s article on the protest against ICE on campus that is beautifully representative of the rich diversity of speakers and Student protest signs that occurred at city College last Friday.
The protest is the testament to a student movement that is coming alive across this country as an authoritarianism grows and ICE abuse are seeing regularly on social media. There is an awakening of the need for social justice among an important section of the student population and is reflecting the spontaneous growth of millions of people on the street desperately trying to prevent the consolidation of a dictatorship.
Nadia‘s articles and her stunning photographs reflect the sentiments in their fullness. As a news director at San Diego Community radio station Justice 89.1 FM KNSJ we would be proud to have reporters like this incorporated into our broadcast. In fact, if anybody would like to get involved, feel free to call 619-283-1100.
Once again, thanks it’s in Media and through all the students who gave her themselves for the greater cause of democracy and immigrant rights at this critical juncture in US history.