Protestors urge Rubio to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill
With signs that read “No human being is illegal” and “No more deportations!” protesters gathered Saturday afternoon outside office of Sen. Marco Rubio at the USF Connect building in the USF Research Park chanting.
“Obama! Obama! Don’t deport my mama,” they chanted.
The group, comprising USF students from Tampa’s Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter, La Raíces en Tampa, a group whose main goal is legalization for undocumented immigrants, and Farm Workers Alliance of Florida protested in an effort to push Rubio and other members of Congress to pass the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill, a bill which seeks to litigate border security, economic opportunity and the legal status of undocumented immigrants.
Gage Lacharite, a sophomore majoring in computer science and member of Tampa Bay SDS, said he protested to show his support.
“I think the importance here is just showing that this movement has numbers and that this is something that the American people demand, in a lot of ways,” he said.
Tampa resident Marisol Marquez, who has participated in several on-campus protests, organized Saturday’s protest.
“I think the Congress … they’re not really thinking of passing it, because that pretty much would give a lot of empowerment to the people,” she said.
The group left flyers and signs in Rubio’s office. Marquez said she doesn’t know if he will respond, but said “it would be wise of him to comment on it.”
More Stories
Bomb threat at USF Cooper hall wasn’t legitimate, police say
University Police (UP) determined a reported bomb threat at Cooper Hall on Tuesday night wasn’t legitimate. After sweeping Cooper Hall, UP found “nothing of concern,” according to a universitywide email sent out at 12:39 a.m on Wednesday. The investigation is still ongoing, according to police. The USF community was first alerted to the bomb threat […]
Pro-Palestine encampment protest at USF broken up by tear gas
Law enforcement broke up a pro-Palestine encampment of around 100 protesters at the USF Tampa campus Tuesday evening using tear gas. The demonstration was the second in two days at USF where students, employees and community members urged the university to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel. Related: Several protesters at USF arrested […]
Several protestors at USF arrested during pro-Palestine encampment protest
Three protestors were arrested by University Police (UP) Monday afternoon during a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Marshall Student Center (MSC), according to USF spokesperson Althea Johnson. Johnson said the three arrests included a student, an employee and an individual who is not associated with the university. Related: USF pro-Palestine hunger strikers removed from BOT meeting […]
The Oracle needs your help
Dear reader: Reporters for USF’s award-winning student newspaper, The Oracle, have recently navigated through a pandemic, a rapidly evolving political climate and a change in university president – all with the goal of sharing important news and stories. Though The Oracle has been an integral part in keeping the USF community informed since 1966, we […]
USF won’t install more physical protections following recent on-campus suicide
USF will not be implementing additional physical safety measures over a month after a student leapt from an upper floor inside the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said. The incident marked the third on-campus suicide since fall 2022. A week after a student fell from an upper floor of Beard Garage in 2022, […]
Meet USF’s new student body president and vice president
A new era of Student Government (SG) just arrived. In a quick five-minute ceremony, student body president-elect Suryakanth Prasad Gottipati and vice president-elect Sumit Subhash Jadhav were sworn in on Wednesday afternoon. Their term will start on May 6 and last for one year. Related: Take a look at USF’s student leaders’ swearing in ceremony […]