Tampa Bay students rally against Trump’s ‘National Emergency’

Tampa, FL – In the wake of President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to get increased funding to the border wall, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of South Florida (USF) held a rally to respond to the attacks on immigrants. The rally, held on campus on February 19, called for a halt to the preparation of a border wall, as well as pushing for more protections for immigrants across the country and at USF.

“This state of emergency is an abuse of power that has resulted from the implementation of racist ideas from the Trump administration. The wall is a symbol of white supremacy meant to scare immigrants and the people living in Central and South America,” said Tampa Bay SDS member, Taylor Cook.

The rally also drew comparisons of the federal administration with the university’s administration.

“USF was compliant in repressing Mehdi Zeyghami from speaking about his experiences during the travel ban, and nothing has changed. USF is still compliant with federal agencies like DHS, ICE and the FBI, agencies that have attacked immigrants around the country and on this campus,” said Tampa SDS member Kareem Hessen. Mehdi Zeyghami was an Iranian student at USF who was prevented from returning to his studies during Trump’s travel ban, while campus administration cut off his communication outlets to local news agencies.

Tampa Bay SDS’s current campaign is to make the USF noncompliant with various federal agencies to provide more protection for undocumented and international students in the time of the Trump administration and beyond.