Chanting echoed through campus as over 100 students gathered outside the CUB last Wednesday to protest executive orders signed by President Trump targeting immigrants and Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. 

Since taking office in January, President Trump has signed an unprecedented amount of executive orders. Many of these focused on immigration and DEI, including tightening the border, ramping up deportations and dismantling federal DEI protections. 

This presidential overhaul has had immediate consequences. Aspen Shumpert of KGW8 reported that the neighboring University of Idaho closed many multicultural student centers last month, including the Women’s Center and Black and African American Cultural Center after the Idaho Board of Education banned DEI programs in colleges. 

Students at the protest said they worried that WSU would soon see a similar fate.

“We have such a big multicultural community here on campus. It’s so important for us to show the school that we are serious about protecting our spaces and our voice,” said Geo Pineda Cuevas, WSU senior and protest organizer. 

According to WSU Insider, since 2023 WSU has been considered an “emerging Hispanic-serving institution” by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, a designation for schools with Hispanic enrollment between 15% and 24%. 

“There are so many programs here like first-gen mentors, alternate language orientation and multicultural clubs that our students need. We need WSU to commit to protecting them,” Cuevas said. 

Despite the blistering cold and rain, students from all walks of life gathered in support.

“The turnout was incredible. I was so happy to see so many non-hispanic students show passion for our cause,” said Brando Leon Raymundo, junior and protest leader.

Students, many of them holding signs, chanted for over an hour calling for the downfall of ICE, Donald Trump, deportations and discrimination.

“We wanted to make a statement, we are here, we stand together, and we will not let this get swept under the rug,” said protest organizer Sebastian Walker.

Many voiced their concerns for undocumented students here at WSU. The City of Pullman said in a recent release that local law enforcement will cooperate with federal agencies in deportation operations when requested. 

“This is such a personal issue for us. We all know a friend or family member who is undocumented and scared they might not have a future. I am here for those who don’t, or can’t have a voice,” said Luis Sotelo, sophomore and protest leader.

Along with the protest, members of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority drafted a list of demands asking the Dean of Students to make campus a safe space for vulnerable students and protect existing DEI infrastructure. 

The demands are as follows:

1. WSU must go beyond its existing policies and publicly declare itself a sanctuary campus, committing to the non-cooperation with ICE and any federal immigration enforcement on campus.
2. Prohibit campus police, security and administrative offices from assisting in any immigration enforcement actions.
3. Ensure that WSU staff and faculty do not voluntarily share student information (immigration status, address, etc.) with federal agencies beyond what FERPA legally requires.
4. Update and publish clear protocols on how students, faculty and staff should respond if approached by ICE or if they witness enforcement actions on or near campus. As well as send out a “Know Your Rights” email.
5. WSU must publicly reaffirm its commitment to undocumented, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and mixed-status students through a direct statement from university leadership.
6. Expand mental health services and counseling specifically for students impacted by immigration policies, racial trauma and identity-based violence.
7. WSU must issue a formal, binding commitment to not defund, dissolve or restructure DEI spaces, “WITH A HUGE EMPHASIS” on Multicultural Student Services.
8. WSU must develop a contingency plan in the event that state or federal policies attempt to defund DEI programs, similar to what happened in Idaho.

“The main message we want to send to WSU is that we are here, we are the heart of this school, and we will not settle for anything less,” LTA member Andrea Guillen Agaton said.

WSU’s Vice President for Marketing and Communications Phil Weiler said the administration is tracking this issue closely, as many institutions are navigating a constantly changing situation.

“Land-grant universities were created to provide access to a college education for all qualified students, regardless of their backgrounds,” Weiler said. “We are deeply committed to our land-grant mission and to the students we serve–they are the reason we exist.”