University of Florida students gathered in Turlington Plaza on Friday morning, where they called on the university to end its collaboration with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  

The students’ actions were part of Solidarity Fest, a day-long protest and community gathering organized by the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter at UF.  

“We’re organizing the Solidarity Fest in order to celebrate the local cultures that have been affected by ICE and promote the stuff that’s been happening at UF…in addition to spreading awareness and making sure our students are safe,” said Hedi O’Connel, a member of the UFYDSA.  

According to background information provided to media members, UF is currently working with ICE by way of the University of Florida Police Department’s (UFPD) involvement in the federal 287(g) agreement.  

The 287(g) program “allows ICE to enhance collaboration with state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” according to ICE’s website.  

O’Connel said the 287(g) agreement was finalized with UFPD in April 2025. This was after a UF international student – Felipe Zapata-Velasquez – was detained by ICE following his arrest in a March 2025 traffic stop. Zapata-Velasquez later self-deported back to his home country of Colombia.  

Anti-ICE signs could be spotted in several areas around Turlington Plaza on Friday morning, including trees or in the hands of protestors. These signs had messages that read “ICE OFF CAMPUS NOW,” “PRO STUDENT ANTI ICE,” “FREE UF – ICE OUT,” “KICK ICE TO THE CURB,” among others.  

Alex Lawson, a 21-year-old UF digital arts and science junior, was among those holding signs. When asked about the decision to participate in the fest, Lawson said it was important “to do what we can to stand up for other students on campus.” 

Lawson added that students should be able to receive an education without having to worry about their safety. 

In addition to the protests, the event featured speakers, tabling by campus organizations and live performances.  

“We wanted to make sure that we were in coalition with a large community and make sure that all of UF was kind of on board with this [the Solidarity Fest],” O’Connel said.  

YDSA was among the organizations that participated in the tabling, where students and other community members could sign a petition demanding ICE’s removal from campus. According to the background information for the event, the petition has received more than 1,700 signatures.  

O’Connel said as part of their petition demands, they want UF to get out of the 287(g) agreement. She noted that the university could leave the agreement anytime, adding it’s not mandated for anybody that’s not a sheriff’s office like UFPD. 

O’Connel also said they want to hire student legal services for immigrant students.  

“If ICE ever comes with like a warrant next time or asking for student information, we’ll be able to combat that or approach it the proper way and not just abandon our immigrant students,” she said.  

O’Connel said they also want UF students to be “respected and safe.” 

“We have courses and education for every student to learn about what to do if ICE comes out to talk to you and inform them of their rights,” she said.  

UF declined a request for comment on Friday afternoon.  

The Solidarity Fest began at 10 a.m. on Friday and was scheduled to continue until 3 p.m. It was held on the same day as a national shutdown, in which Americans are urged to skip school, work and shopping to protest ICE.  

Gainesville has seen numerous protests since President Donald Trump entered office for his second term. The local protests have included a downtown protest against Elon Musk as DOGE operations started, a “Tesla Takedown” rally in March 2025, an anti-Trump protest for International Workers’ Day in May 2025, the No Kings Protest in June, anti-ICE protests at the school board and around the community, and the second No Kings protest in October 2025.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.