A conservative student group at Arizona State University is organizing an event to promote reporting classmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid President Donald Trump‘s crackdown.
The group, College Republicans United, said on social media the event is scheduled for later today, 31 January.
Newsweek has contacted Governor Katie Hobbs, Arizona State University, and the College Republicans United for comment via email outside of normal office hours.
Why It Matters
Since the start of Trump’s second term, hundreds of suspected illegal migrants have been arrested. Under the current administration, ICE has gained expanded powers in enforcement, including the right to conduct raids in places of worship, schools, and hospitals.
Critics say immigration raids sow fear in vulnerable communities and that they violate protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Issues including warrantless arrests, data collection without consent, and detentions without probable cause could be deemed unconstitutional and may prompt potential legal battles over balancing immigration enforcement with individual rights.
Immigration and mass deportations were a key component of President Trump’s successful 2024 campaign. Americans largely support the president’s mass deportation plans, but disagree about how policies should be carried out. A poll by The New York Times and Ipsos from January 2 to 10 found that 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported “deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records.”
What To Know
“We will be tabling on campus asking fellow students to report their criminal classmates to ICE for deportation,” a post from the student group on X read.
A College Republicans United post also includes a tip form for ICE, the federal agency tasked with executing President Donald Trump’s plan to significantly expand immigration enforcement as he looks to carry out the largest “deportation program in U.S. history.”
The student organization is selling T-shirts featuring their logo on the front, with “ICE Volunteer” and the Department of Homeland Security logo printed on the back.
The event has received a wave of backlash from advocacy groups and Democrats.
The move has drawn criticism from state lawmakers, particularly Senator Catherine Miranda (LD11) and Representative Lydia Hernandez (LD24), co-chairs of the Latino Caucus. In a joint statement, both lawmakers condemned the event and called on the university to intervene.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said on social media that her office would support students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, often referred to as “Dreamers.” The program, established in 2012, provides protections to people who entered the U.S. as children without permission to live there. In Arizona, there are around 20,000 active DACA recipients, most of whom are over 30, and are permitted to live, work, and attend school in the U.S.
College Republicans United, known for its “America First” ideology, has previously come under fire for its ties to white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
Meanwhile, on January 29, ICE reported more than 1,000 arrests and 814 detainers were lodged as having probable cause for deportation.
Since Trump took office, ICE and the White House have been releasing daily reports on the number of immigrants arrested or placed under immigration detainers—figures that differ from the actual number of deportations.
What People Are Saying
Rick Thomas, the founder of CRU and the treasurer of Republicans United LLC said: “If they are choosing not to abide by (the legal immigration process), and they’re on campus taking the spot of a position where an American citizen should be there instead, that’s obviously something that needs to be fixed. It’s to get attention,” Thomas said. “Otherwise people would not really give it a whole lot of thought. We usually do these sorts of events that are very provocative.”
Arizona State Senator Catherine Miranda (LD11) said in a statement: “I fully condemn the College Republicans United at Arizona State for their planned action encouraging the reporting of other students to ICE for deportation. For many young adults, college is the first place that they will interact with people outside of their own culture. Colleges are supposed to be environments where individuals can learn not just from their classes, but from their classmates. They are supposed to be a place that builds an environment for students to be able to gain new experiences.
“The event goes against ASU’s commitment to ethnic, intellectual, socioeconomic, and cultural inclusion. I have had brief communication with ASU President Michael Crow and have high hopes that he will join myself, and multiple others, in condemning this event and stopping it from happening on the university’s campus.”
Representative Lydia Hernandez (LD24) said in a statement: “As Latino legislators in the state of Arizona, it is absolutely imperative that we take proactive measures to ensure the safety of students on school campuses. We are asking universities to do the same.
“In the wake of the current political climate in our state in and across the nation, educational institutions must be safe zones and free of intimidation and endangerment. Allowing this kind of event will create a climate of fear and division for the university’s student population, especially students of color and Dreamers, who are being specifically targeted. I ask the university to take the students’ safety as seriously as I do by condemning this group’s actions and stopping the event.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a post on X: “This is abhorrent behavior by this extreme right group at ASU. Every student should be able to feel safe on campus. It’s appalling to see this division and hatred in our community. Dreamers in Arizona, know that I will never stop fighting to protect you.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen if the event will go ahead today amid all the backlash.
The post Arizona Student Group Plans Event To Report Classmates To ICE appeared first on Newsweek.
