Stanford University’s student government has formally endorsed a nationwide anti-ICE walkout, adopting a resolution that frames U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as agents of “significant harm” who have inflicted trauma on immigrant communities. The unanimous vote comes as college activists around the country intensify pressure on federal immigration enforcement.
The Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) Undergraduate Senate passed the resolution 11-0, and the Graduate Student Council followed with an 11-0-2 vote, signaling broad support among student lawmakers for the protest action. The text of the resolution says that ICE’s operations, including “aggressive raids, family separation, prolonged detention, racial profiling, and the use of force in civilian spaces,” have caused lasting psychological, economic, and physical damage to students and their families.
Undergraduate Senate Chair David Sengthay told The Stanford Daily the resolution calls for “collective amplification,” turning emotions such as grief and anger into a public demonstration. One student quoted in coverage said the group wants ICE abolished entirely, urging authorities to “shut it down until ICE is no longer on anyone’s streets.”
The resolution was linked to a larger series of demonstrations tied to a “National Shutdown” movement aimed at federal immigration enforcement, with walkouts and teach-ins held at campuses across the country. At Stanford, hundreds of students reportedly turned out at White Plaza to protest what they describe as “violence” by ICE.
Critics of the resolution argue the student government overstepped its constitutional authority by speaking on broad national policy rather than issues directly affecting Stanford students. Postsecondary groups such as The Stanford Review have claimed the resolution violates ASSU’s constitutional limits on political advocacy unrelated to campus life.
Supporters counter that many Stanford students from immigrant or mixed-status families genuinely feel targeted by federal immigration actions and that these experiences shape campus climate and student wellbeing. Organizers also included campus groups such as the Black Student Union, Students for Justice in Palestine, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as signatories to the resolution.
The walkout and allied protests occur amid national debate over immigration enforcement following high-profile confrontations between ICE and activists in cities such as Minneapolis, including fatal encounters during federal operations there.
