Over a dozen students gathered in Washington Square Park Wednesday afternoon, calling for NYU to declare itself a “sanctuary campus,” publicly pledge to protect transgender rights, increase Black enrollment and protect funding for cultural programs.

The rally, organized by NYU’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, began with students chanting “NYU don’t comply, don’t give in to Trump’s lies” and “Money for jobs and education, not for ICE and deportation” in Garibaldi Plaza. The protesters, some of whom wore keffiyehs, also held signs with phrases such as “NO COMPLIANCE WITH TRUMP’S VIOLENCE.” They also circulated a petition, which has since garnered around three dozen signatures.   

SDS representative and Tandon junior Ebtesham Ahmed told WSN that the group is demanding NYU declare itself a “sanctuary campus” that does not help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement identify undocumented students. 

“People who built their lives in this country are now being threatened with being removed completely and having their lives stripped away from them,” Ahmed said. “It’s a horrifying reality.”

In April, President Linda Mills revealed that “some members” of the NYU community were affected by mass visa revocations. Less than a month later, he members’ immigration statuses were restored. When previously asked about the university’s protections for immigrant members, NYU spokesperson John Beckman had said the university “will comply with the law.” 

Another SDS representative, Gallatin junior Caleb Levy, said that organizers also called for NYU to publicly pledge to protect transgender members of the community. Levy referenced NYU Langone Health’s denial of gender-affirming care to patients following a January executive order threatening to defund treatments for individuals under 19 years of age.

“When Trump first started the attack on trans people, NYU Langone caved immediately,” Levy said. “They immediately started trying to restrict life-saving healthcare.”

Shortly after the decision, New York Attorney General Letitia James said hospitals that comply with the executive order violate the state’s anti-discrimination laws. Over 1,000 people also protested the executive order outside NYU Langone Health’s Tisch Hospital in February, calling it illegal and unconstitutional.

SDS also called on the university to “commit to increasing Black students’ enrollment,” which fell to 4% for NYU’s class of 2028 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on affirmative action.

“NYU has this whole thing that ‘the city is our campus,’ but New York is 20% Black, NYU is 4% Black,” Levy said. “That’s not a coincidence, that’s policy — we’re gonna keep organizing. NYU does not get to just ignore us. The administration does not get to just ignore us.”

Jennifer Jesus contributed reporting.

Contact Leena Ahmed at [email protected].