A dozen speakers hold microphones during a Feb. 16 “Day Without Immigrants” rally on the front steps of Johnson Hall at the University of Oregon.
This is the third in a series of demonstrations called “A Day Without Migrants”, which will culminate on May 1, International Workers’ Day.
Hundreds of participants packed the ramp leading to the University Administration Building to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Eugene and nationwide. Students, staff, faculty and community members are calling on University of Oregon leaders to take action and use the University of Oregon Alert System to provide notifications when ICE is on or near campus.
University of Oregon student Isabel E speaks at a “Day Without Immigrants” rally on the Eugene campus on February 16, 2026.
“I’m scared, I’m angry, I’m tired, but now is not the time to give in to despair,” said Isabel E, a student at the University of Oregon’s Young Democratic Socialists of America. “It’s time to take action, fight back and demand that this university live up to its moral obligation to protect its students, faculty and city.”
Multiple student groups helped organize the rally, including YDSA, the University of Oregon’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), and the University of Oregon’s Federation of Student Workers and Graduate Teaching Fellows. Faculty and staff were also in attendance, as well as representatives of the Eugene Party for Socialism and Liberation.
University of Oregon students want alert system to respond to ICE raids
University of Oregon student and MEChA member Xiomara Andrade spoke on behalf of MEChA President Maria Gaspar. She discussed recent University of Oregon alerts, including one on Feb. 9 about “hydrogel beads,” commonly known as Orbeez, shooting at pedestrians near campus. Andrade called the alert “insulting.” She criticized the university’s lack of ICE alerts, saying the University of Oregon administration was more concerned about its public image than its students.
“We need these alarms, and we need them now,” Andrade said. “(Students) are looking over their shoulders instead of focusing on their future. At MEChA, we are in direct contact with immigrant and Latino communities every day. We don’t just look at the data, we look into the eyes of our peers and see the fear growing every day.”
Protesters gather at Johnson Hall on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene to celebrate “A Day Without Immigrants” on February 16, 2026
Hispanic and Latino Student Cultural Center
Students at the University of Oregon are also calling for the creation of a Latinx Cultural Center that would specifically target the Hispanic and Latino student population, similar to the Black Cultural Center. While the Multicultural Center exists, students say the space fills up quickly and is not large enough to accommodate collaboration among Latino-serving student groups on campus. Latino and Hispanic students are the second largest student population at the University of Oregon, after white students. According to University of Oregon winter 2026 data, 17% of undergraduate students are Hispanic/Latino, while 60% of undergraduate students are white.
Toby Cole, a University of Oregon transfer student involved in YDSA and MEChA, said part of the reason he attended the rally was to find community. Cole, who grew up in Southern California, said he was shocked when he first came to a predominantly white institution, but he has been able to find community through groups like MEChA. He said there are many Latino students and some faculty, but he would like to see more resources organized by the university itself.
“The Latino student presence is strong and healthy, but we don’t have room to grow,” Cole said. “I think that’s the main thing we’re really striving for.”
Students gather outside Johnson Hall at the University of Oregon in Eugene for a “Day Without Immigrants” protest on February 16, 2026.
Cole said Latino faculty have been doing what they can to support students, but Cole would like to see a Latino student specialist in the U of O’s mental health counseling office, similar to Dr. Cecil Gadson, a psychologist who specializes in African American/Black students.
During Monday’s rally, Cole said it was so powerful to see that she was not alone as all her peers felt the same fear but were willing to take steps to make a change.
“There’s definitely a lot of fear on campus, but there’s also a lot of power going on,” Cole said. “There’s a lot of solidarity here. Non-Latinx, non-immigrant, non-color students are also coming together to say, ‘Hey, you’re my neighbor, you’re my classmate, you’re my friend. I’m going to protect you.'”
Miranda Cyr covers education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her at @mirandabcyr.
This article originally appeared in Register-Guard: University of Oregon students want cultural center, ICE alert
