FL: COURT SIDES WITH ICE PROTESTERS AT FIU
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MIAMI (WFOR) — A group of Florida International University students celebrated a legal victory over FIU administrators.
A U.S. District Court Judge granted a motion to enjoin the university from enforcing regulations that punished members of FIU’s student-led ICEBreakers group for a silent demonstration.
In March, six students stood silently wearing T-shirts that said “ICE OFF FIU” in front of a crowd gathered inside a campus building to hear FIU President Jeanette Nunez interview a guest.
Administrators initially ruled that the six students violated campus rules by causing disruption. The students had until September 4 to record a video explaining their behavior or risk a hold on their enrollment status. That hold can prevent students from registering for classes or receiving their diploma.
Instead of complying, senior music education student Andrew Caro and others filed a lawsuit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Those punished are part of FIU’s ICEBreakers organization that pushes university leaders to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement off campus.
“Knowing that we don’t have to record that video and that our university will not go ahead with punishing us at least until the case finishes is absolutely overwhelming,” Caro said. “Our Latino community is consistently under attack. They are being oppressed by our government and by the [Department of Homeland Security], and the fact that my university is complicit in that is the entire reason why we engaged in the demonstration.”
The ruling ordered the university to stop enforcing regulations punishing the ICEBreakers’ conduct.
The judge said the students and ACLU are likely to win their lawsuit because FIU administrators acted “without regard for whether” the demonstration “materially disrupts the school’s operations.”
FIU’s Senior Director of Media Relations Madeline Baró released a statement to CBS News Miami late Monday afternoon.
“FIU values freedom of expression and supports an environment that fosters civil discourse and the respectful exchange of ideas. At the same time, the university’s responsibility is to maintain campus operations, support its educational mission, and ensure safety and access for all members of the university community. As this matter is pending litigation, we cannot comment further. We will comply with the court’s order while considering our legal options.”
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