Boston College students gathered across from St. Ignatius Church on Saturday evening to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-perpetrated violence and call for future political action.

“We want to draw attention, we want to show the world that the people of Boston stand with immigrants,” said Aiden Zhang-Mastrapa, MCAS ’29 and the organizer of the protest.

The political apathy that Zhang-Mastrapas said he has experienced during his first year at BC sparked a desire to reinvigorate the University’s dormant protest culture.

“I was sort of surprised as a freshman coming to the school how little of a culture around political organization there is here at BC,” he said. “I felt that someone needed to do it, and then if no one was going to, then I might as well.”

Protestors condemned ICE’s increased presence in immigrant communities across the nation—bearing signs with slogans like “abolish ICE” and “no ‘illegals’ on stolen land.”

“[ICE] is part of a real, calculated turn towards authoritarianism,” said Zhang-Mastrapa. “What is going on in Minneapolis right now and continues to go on in cities across the nation has shown us that this administration is mobilizing ICE as a secret police.”

Mirroring FACES’ on-campus ICE Vigil held on Feb. 13, Zhang-Mastrapa read the names of individuals killed in interactions with immigration enforcement officials.

“Each and every one of these individuals deserve justice, and they deserve action, and that’s what we’re all here to give them,” he said.

The protest, which drew more than 35 people, was held just feet away from where an ICE vehicle was spotted five months ago.

UGBC Leadership released a statement addressing ICE on Feb. 12, citing the September incident. Protestors, however, expressed their frustration with UGBC’s response to the sighting. 

“It took the Undergraduate Government of Boston College months, until just weeks ago, to even acknowledge the dangers of ICE’s presence on campus,” said Lex Malik, MCAS ’29. “Not only do our administrators stay silent on social issues, our students, who are supposed to represent our interests, do the same.”

(Editor’s Note: Malik is a columnist for The Heights who was protesting in her individual capacity. Her protest does not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of The Heights.)

Students also criticized BC’s free speech policies. BC was ranked seventh-to-last in freedom of speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. 

“I think that there’s too much ambiguity in the policy when it comes to student demonstrations, and what even counts as a student demonstration,” said Mary Oliver,  MCAS ’27 and director of FACES, in an interview with The Heights following the protest. 

Zhang-Mastrapa faced several obstacles during talks with BC’s administration when attempting to organize an on-campus protest.

“We had gone through a couple locations, and there was a lot of, sort of, dispute over that,” said Zhang-Mastrapa in an interview with The Heights following the protest. 

Zhang-Mastrapa said that he ultimately decided to move the protest off campus to work around BC’s demonstration policies. 

“Mary Oliver gave me the idea to protest off-campus so … that we don’t go through the school and [are] in the vicinity of the [Sept. 6] ICE vehicle,” he said. 

Not only did protestors note frustrations with BC’s demonstration policies, but many also pointed out perceived contradictions between BC’s mission statement and their recent attitude toward political tensions across the nation.

“Over and over at orientation, we heard the phrase ‘men and women for others,’ we were told that we would set the world aflame,” said Malik. “I’ve only been here a few months, and it didn’t take me long to realize just how short this University falls on all of its promises.”

Oliver noted that BC was founded in 1863 to educate a primarily immigrant community and called on BC’s duty to speak out against the recent escalation of attacks against immigrants. 

“BC in itself is a testament to the value immigrants bring to this country,” said Oliver. 

Shortly before the protest began, Zhang-Mastrapa emphasized the importance of a civil protest. 

“We’re making our voices heard civilly, but we will not let this become another opportunity for the [Trump] administration to slander our right to assemble,” said Zhang-Mastrapa.

Martha Durkee-Neuman, who volunteers with the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, spoke at the event and led students in several chants, and provided protestors with a LUCE number to report ICE sightings in the community.

“Every time somebody calls this hotline, volunteers, community organizers, and neighbors are going out to watch ICE, film them, and bear witness and protect the precedent to say every single person in our community belongs,” said Durkee-Neuman.