Editors note: Anonymous and the first names of sources were used to minimize harm and protect their safety.
The Sacramento State community held a walkout in the library quad Tuesday in protest of the federal government’s arrest and detention of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil. Students and attendees at the protest were seen holding signs in support of releasing Khalil from detention and protecting the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression.
The protest was organized by Sac State’s Students for Justice in Palestine, Students for Quality Education and the Ethnic Studies Student Association.
This comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at combating antisemitism. A letter from the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights warned Sac State and 60 other institutions that they could lose federal funding if the university fails to protect Jewish students under Title VI.
RELATED: BREAKING: Sac State among 60 schools warned by Department of Education for alleged antisemitism
Organizers spoke out against the Trump administration’s recent crackdowns on college activism, particularly regarding pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which have included removing federal funding from Columbia. Sac State was among multiple universities to hold an encampment protesting the U.S. and Israel’s involvement in the Gaza conflict last Spring.
Stories were shared during the protest about the Trump Administration and the protection of free speech by the organizers. Students also spoke about their thoughts on the current political climate, student’s rights to protest and the arrest of Khalil.
Third-year political science major Jack, who chose not to disclose his last name due to privacy and safety concerns, said the intention is to raise awareness around the federal investigation into Sac State risking federal funding. Jack said the organizations hope to “make noise” about Khalil’s arrest to prevent other student activists from being arrested.
“They’re threatening to deport him for his role in organizing the encampment,” Jack said about Khalil. “So we’re here to protest this unjust arrest, and there are people across campuses all across the country today that are here to do the same.”
Alan King, a Sac State alumnus, attended the protest. King said while he supports students’ rights to protest and voice disagreement, he was concerned about potential violence.
“I actually have been watching news about the Columbia protest and the violence that’s been going on there,” King said. “Let’s support each other and do it with open communication as our guide. Because the more we can openly communicate, we might find consensus.”
Jack said while Sac State has supported students’ right to protest thus far, he is worried that the university may cave to federal pressures. He said the protestors wanted the world to know they are still there.
“The new ‘time, place and manner’ policy is a huge restriction on freedom of speech, it really defangs any student movement,” Jack said. Concerning President Trump, he said, “He’s using Mahmoud as an example, and I’m sure he’s going to continue these arrests. This also comes along alongside an increase in ICE activity targeting people with delicate immigration statuses.”
Last year, the CSU updated the time, place and manner policy creating new guidelines for protesters on campus. These policies have increased restrictions on the areas and methods of protest students can execute on campus.
Attendees held signs targeting the Trump administration overall, with many voicing disagreements over how the federal government has handled immigration and deportations. Amidst Trump’s recent executive orders, many immigrant communities face a risk of deportation or Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
A representative from SJP, who wished to remain anonymous for safety, said that the arrest and detention is a violation of Khalil’s constitutional right to freedom of expression. Khalil is facing deportation, and the SPJ representative said they wanted to raise awareness of it.
RELATED: ‘We’re going to be here until the CSU system divests’: Students and organizers comment on Sac State encampment
“I think it’s absolutely unconstitutional,” the SPJ representative said. “He didn’t break any laws. He didn’t break any guidelines for his status or his green card. He just exercised free speech, which every person in the United States is supposed to have.”
They said that Columbia University’s attempts to collaborate with the federal government’s restraints on student protesters failed to protect Khalil, and they hope Sac State’s administration does not similarly reverse its policies protecting free speech like Columbia.
“Columbia might have tried to side with the Trump administration. It didn’t keep them safe. We want to make sure our university and all universities are aware of that,” the SPJ representative said. “Suppressing students and succumbing to the intimidation won’t keep them safe. It will cost them their funding, and it will also cost them their students’ safety and freedoms.”
Jack said that the protest was not just in support of student activists like Khalil, but also any immigrants who have been targeted by the Trump administration.
“We’re here in solidarity with all of the people that the Trump campaign has been targeting,” Jack said. “Fascism doesn’t take root in a day. It’s a years-long process, and it always starts somewhere. This is the beginning.”
