Over 100 students and community members gathered in front of Willard Straight Hall on Wednesday evening to condemn federal immigration agencies and urge the University to sever institutional ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Organized by Cornell Democrats, The Progressives at Cornell, Students for Justice in Palestine at Cornell, the Cornell American Civil Liberties Union and Black Students United, the rally blended denunciations of immigrant enforcement with broader critiques of U.S. imperialism, campus policing and the University’s relationship with federal authorities. The protesters marched to and from Day Hall, presenting speeches and holding signs against federal immigration agencies at both locations.
The demonstration took place amid heightened national attention on immigration enforcement with more than 300 national protests held throughout the week and a rally in the Ithaca Commons over the weekend. These events were sparked by the killings of two U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis this month as well as the detainment of five year old pre-kindergarten student Liam Conejo Ramos by immigration authorities.
The protest also focused on recent controversies over federal recruitment efforts on college campuses, including advertisements on Cornell’s Handshake page — a career networking platform aimed at college students.
The 2026 Spring Career Fair Days on March 9 and 10 will feature over 190 companies –– including ICE, though specific attendee lists for these dates are managed via Handshake. In September 2024, over 100 pro-Palestine protesters confronted Boeing during a Human Capital and Human Relations Career Fair held by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations Boeing and L3Harris were absent from this year’s Human Capital and HR Career following the previous year’s protest.
Protesters repeatedly called on University administrators to end cooperation with ICE and CBP, particularly in recruitment and campus access.
The rally opened with Adriana Vink ’27, co-president of Students for Justice in Palestine and who described the gathering as an act of solidarity with communities affected by immigration enforcement nationwide. Referring to recent deaths connected to ICE operations, Vink stated that the protest was “in solidarity” with the demonstrations in Minnesota.
Max Ehrlich ’26, vice president of Cornell Democrats and the ILR representative for Student Assembly. A Minnesota native, Ehrlich described his reaction to the detention of a five-year-old boy in Minnesota by ICE.
“I went home over this last break, and I turned on the TV, and I watched as federal agents did some of the most disgusting things I’ve ever f*cking seen,” Ehrlich said. “They kidnapped a child going home from school.”
Ehrlich connected those experiences to Cornell’s institutional policies, referencing a Student Assembly resolution passed months earlier that called on the University to stop collaborating with ICE and CBP for recruitment purposes.
“Several months ago, the Student Assembly passed a resolution that [the University] needs to stop collaborating with ICE and stop collaborating with CBP for recruitment on this campus,’ he said. “But six hours ago ... I got a Handshake message from f*cking Customs and Border Protection.”
The University stated that federal agencies are allowed to recruit on campus under University policy, though student groups argue that such access to campus contributes to fear among undocumented and international students. A University spokesperson previously suggested contacting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which organized previous recruiting events, for more information.
Another speaker, Hasham Khan ’26, a member of SJP, said ICE was part of a broader system of oppression, linking immigration enforcement to U.S. foreign policy and campus activism.
“Let it be clear that it is abhorrent that this University supports ICE in any way, shape or form ... and it is abhorrent that our peers want to work for facilities that help ICE,” Khan said. “That includes your engineer friends who are looking for jobs in Lockheed Martin, who are looking for jobs in Palantir, who are looking for an easy check. But an easy check is someone’s lifeline.”
He also referenced a former Cornell Ph.D. student, Momodou Taal, who Khan said was targeted by ICE because of his activism related to Palestine. Khan explained that Taal was “hunted” by ICE because of his “unequivocal stance” on Palestine.
Momodou Taal self-deported after the University suspended him, triggering a deportation notice from the federal government.
“ICE is not an exception of the American Empire but a feature of it,” Khan concluded.
Jonathan Lam ’27, co-president of Cornell ACLU, described personal and familiar experiences of displacement. He detailed his experience with immigration, explaining that his family chose to flee Vietnam due to violence and war.
“For the longest time, we’ve been called racial slurs, we’ve been called illegal,” Lam said. “We’ve been told to go back to where we belong. But this is where we belong.”
President of BSU Eva Vanterpool ’27 opened her remarks by calling for a moment of silence in honor of Keith Porter Jr., a Black man who was killed by ICE outside his apartment complex on New Year’s Eve. She urged solidarity among marginalized groups during the rally, encouraging audiences towards “collective action.”
In interviews conducted after the rally, organizers emphasized that the protest was intended as the beginning of a sustained campaign rather than a one-time event. Several protesters expressed fear and frustration over the presence of immigration enforcement agencies on campus. Two students described anxiety among international and undocumented students.
“We’re sick and tired of ICE,” Amadou Agne ’27, said in an interview with The Sun. “We don’t want them on our campus. We’re tired of being threatened with deportation just for standing up for what’s right.”
Sunni Horton ’27, criticized Cornell’s stated commitment to international students to The Sun.
“Cornell actively inviting immigration personnel. … It’s ridiculous,” Horton said. “Especially as we say we want international students from everywhere.”
As the crowd dispersed, organizers reiterated their intention to continue organizing, suggesting that future protests and actions are already being planned. When asked about next steps, Ehrlich was clear that the movement would continue.
“We know that tonight is only the beginning,” Ehrlich said. “One rally does not accomplish our goals. This is part of a much larger fight and movement.”
Everett Chambala ’27 contributed to reporting.
