resulted in a lawsuit<\/a> against these officials.<\/p>\nFIU student Andrew Caro, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, shared his thoughts on the victory on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that we don\u2019t have to record that video and that our university will not go ahead with punishing us at least until the case finishes is absolutely overwhelming, and we\u2019re very happy to hear it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe video that FIU submitted to the judge showing our demonstration actually worked against FIU, because it just showed how peaceful and just how silent the demonstration actually was.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also shared the reason behind the demonstrations against the university and lawsuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re fighting the lawsuit for the same reason why we\u2019re engage in the demonstration in the first place. Our Latino community is consistently under attack and being oppressed by our governments and by the [Department of Homeland Security] and ICE, and the fact that my university is complicit in that is the entire reason why we engage in the demonstration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Late last week, the students rallied outside a courthouse in downtown Miami, on the day of their first hearing, with the American Civil Liberties Union\u00a0in their corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to getting ICE off FIU,\u201d said Caro at the rally.<\/p>\n
\u201cICE has no place in a public university,\u201d said another student.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the rally on Friday, Nicholas Warren with the ACLU of Florida was confident that victory would be theirs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re feeling very optimistic that the court will block FIU from enforcing this policy and protect all students on campus for being punished for engaging in First Amendment protected speech and expression,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a filing Sunday, more than five months after the protest, the federal judge ruled in the students\u2019 favor, issuing a preliminary injunction that orders the university to stop enforcing the policy that landed some of the young protesters in trouble while the case move forward.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit states the students, who are part of a group called the ICEbreakers FIU Coalition, \u201csilently stood for a moment, and then silently walked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur demonstration was peaceful, silent and non-disruptive,\u201d said Caro.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe law is clear: Students have a right to protest on their campus, and the protest that these students engaged in and were punished by the university for was peaceful and non-disruptive, which is exactly what the law protects,\u201d said Nicholas Warren with the ACLU of Florida.<\/p>\n
The judge agreed, finding that FIU cannot prohibit peaceful student expression simply because it happens indoors.<\/p>\n
The ICEbreakers FIU Coalition shared a post in social media that says:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur case continues as we keep fighting to protect out First Amendment Rights on campus and defend out students from injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for FIU released a statement reading in part:<\/p>\n
\u201cFIU values freedom of expression and supports an environment that fosters civil discourse and the respectful exchange of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge\u2019s decision comes just before the first day of classes on FIU campuses.<\/p>\n
While the students who filed this lawsuit have won this emergency round, they have not won the entire legal fight. The lawsuit will continue to move forward, and the university can appeal this decision.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n
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