More than 100 student organizers and supporters gathered at the University of Oregon campus Friday afternoon to demand that the school take more steps to protect international students.

The organizers came from multiple student associations including the UO chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America and the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation.

Speeches centered around a set of actionable demands the students made to the university. Their list asked the institution to protect students if or when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers visit campus, to delete footage of students at protests, and to agree not to charge student protesters under the guise of Code of Conduct violations.

Organizers passed around a petition for attendees to sign that also included an “Emergency ICE Outreach List.” This list is directly related to another demand organizers have: They want the university to use UOAlert, an alert system used to notify students of crime around or on campus, to warn students when there are verified instances of ICE on campus.

Diego Duarte, an organizer and student at UO, said these are timely requests in light of the Trump administration’s actions.

“We are demanding specific local changes from our university,” said Duarte. “They respond to protest and pressure from students, faculty and staff. That’s exactly what’s happening here”

At least four UO students have had their student visas revoked for unspecified reasons, according to university officials.

On Friday, a federal immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University who was one of the first students detained by ICE for his participation in Columbia encampments, can be deported. Khalil was a lawful permanent resident.

Sajina Shrestha is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/12/university-of-oregon-rally-international-students/