MIAMI (WSVN) – A group of Florida International University students are fighting back in court after being punished by the school for an on-campus demonstration against the school’s plan to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Several FIU students gathered outside of the federal courthouse in downtown Miami after a hearing for a lawsuit against the school on Thursday.
“We are committed to keeping our Latino and international community safe, and we are committed to getting ICE off FIU,” said Andrew Caro, one of the plaintiffs in the case.
“ICE off FIU,” said a demonstrator.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is standing with students, arguing the university violated the First Amendment rights of the students it punished for holding a silent demonstration during an assembly.
“The law is clear: students have a right to protest on their campus and the protest that these students engaged in and were punished by their university for was peaceful and nondisruptive, which is exactly what the law protects,” said Nicholas Warren for ACLU of Florida.
The students who were punished showed up to an assembly on March 13 wearing shirts that read “ICE off FIU,” protesting the university’s decision to work in tandem with ICE to enforce immigration laws.
According to a lawsuit filed against university officials, the students “silently stood for a moment, and then silently walked out.”
Police bodycam video appears to show those students standing up during the assembly and facing others in the audience, turning their backs to the speakers on stage.
“They have the right to be here, but they don’t have the right to protest inside that venue,” an officer told a university official.
Once a school official told students anyone who wished to leave the assembly was free to do so, many students dispersed. As many of the demonstrators once again gathered outside, this time away from the entrance, the officer told them they were still too close to the venue.
“They can’t gather there. It’s not 50 feet from the building,” the officer told demonstrators.
“Where’s the tape measure? You got a tape measure to show us?” a demonstrator asked the officer.
A woman then approached the officer, defending the students’ actions.
“But they’re good kids. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do. And that’s what we want, and the majority of us are immigrants,” the woman said.
The officer then acknowledged that students were permitted to protest, but drew the line after some that took part in actions that had crossed a line.
“The thing is they do have the right. It’s just, there’s policies that they need to follow, and they have been bending and bending. And a couple of the kids in there broke a policy or two,” the officer told the woman.
Video posted on social media just outside the assembly showed some students pressing law enforcement on the university’s agreement to work with ICE.
“Why would you not have the police department rescind the agreement?” a student asked an officer.
Other students were also seen questioning FIU President Jeanette Nuñez as she was getting into her car.
“We’re an international school, why do you have ICE on campus?” a student asked Nuñez.
Not long after that display, “The university charged seven of the students with misconduct for violating an FIU rule prohibiting ‘expressive activities’ indoors,” according to the lawsuit.
Back at the courthouse, representatives for ACLU of Florida say this policy violates students’ First Amendment rights as students continued to rail against the university’s agreement to cooperate with immigration authorities.
“Our demonstration was peaceful, silent and nondisruptive however our university has still decided to target my peers and I for standing up for our Latino and international community,” said Caro.
Inside the courtroom, attorneys for the ACLU asked a judge to block FIU from enforcing that policy while the lawsuit moves forward.
“We’re feeling very optimistic that the court will block FIU from enforcing this policy and protect all students on campus from being punished for engaging in First Amendment-protected speech and expression,” said Warren.
The judge is expected to deliver a decision in the coming days.
Classes for the fall semester at FIU begin on Monday.
7News has reached out to the university for a statement on the lawsuit but have not heard back.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox