By Young Democratic Socialists of America at Xavier University

In light of recent events, politically affiliated organizations on campus have released statements conveying their official stances on ICE and immigration in the U.S. Xavier’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA’s) statement is published below.  Xavier College Republicans was offered the space to have their statement published but declined. None of these statements are the official opinion of the Newswire.

It is the official position of Young Democratic Socialists of America at Xavier University  that we stand with our immigrant brothers and sisters, legal or not, in their right to live peacefully and without fear, as it is stated in our founding Constitution.

Over the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased its illegal attacks on citizens of the United States. This escalation of violence, of illegal nighttime raids, raids without warrants and aggressive profiling, has led to the death, wrongful imprisonment and deportation of too many innocent American citizens. It is ICE, and the government that allows them to act without accountability or regulation, that has put valid fear and anger into this country. 

We acknowledge that the violence happening on the streets today has been happening to Black and brown people, and that it has taken the execution of white Americans and citizens for the country to mobilize. We find it startling and disturbing that fellow students on campus support the actions of ICE without impunity. When a party cannot criticize state-sanctioned violence and deems it unpatriotic to call out infringements on freedom, it is our duty as U.S. citizens to become concerned about the rise of fascism and the decline of freedom in our nation. 

This past Monday, Feb. 2, a group of students — independent from any club, organization or center — came together to pray and hold vigil for the deaths of the individuals murdered by ICE in 2025 and 2026. They called their fellow students to action, to uphold the very same Jesuit values that are enshrined by our university, to stand in solidarity with the immigrants of Xavier, Cincinnati, in all of Ohio and the many places we come from. This land does not belong to the rich and powerful. The land we all live on was stolen, and it is our responsibility to treat the land and all people that reside in it with the inherent dignity and respect that everyone is owed.

Immigrants are not the reason that opioids, gang violence and human trafficking run so rampant in this country. Our government is made up of convicted criminals, found guilty of the worst crimes in court. 

Recently, students at Xavier have jumped on the bandwagon of scapegoating Black and brown people, sowing hatred and prejudice. This is not the first time in our nation’s history that Black and brown bodies have suffered to allow those in power to keep their power and riches. 

The illegal ICE raids and procedures are direct descendants of the violent and illegal slave patrols. They are directly related to the policies that allowed the Trail of Tears to happen. Anyone supporting ICE has decided to stand on the side of injustice, racism and violence. 

The rhetoric spewed by some groups and people on our campus is wrong. It spreads misinformation, hate speech and lies against the immigrant, people of color and Muslim communities — both in our local community and nationally. 

We call on the university to stop this blatant hate speech. These are not the “hard conversations” we are supposed to be having. We cannot allow student organizations to continue speaking, encouraging and supporting violent actions that actively endanger students.

To be an immigrant does not mean living in fear in a country where they were promised freedom and a better life. To be an “illegal” immigrant is a civil offense, one to be resolved by a fine or probation. Furthermore, legality does not equal morality or correctness. 

It is our civic duty, right and responsibility as American citizens to call out unjust laws and hold our policymakers accountable. No human being is illegal. It is our government’s responsibility and duty to we the people, to protect us and our rights, not execute them in broad daylight.

The Executive Board of Xavier’s Young Democratic Socialists of America