Hundreds of Stanford students protest ICE as part of ‘National Shutdown’

Nearly 600 students, faculty and staff gathered in White Plaza Friday, answering a nationwide call to action against violence perpetrated by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.

The rally was most directly triggered by the recent murders of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, and Renee Nicole Good, a writer and mother of three — both of whom were shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis. Chants of “when we fight, we win,” “shut it down” and “f*** ICE” peppered the silence between several student speeches.  

The University-sanctioned protest took place from noon to 1 p.m., in line with Stanford’s campus disruption policy, according to Undergraduate Senate (UGS) chair David Sengthay. He criticized the policy during his speech, calling it “crazy.”

The rally was both a demonstration of solidarity with victims of ICE and an interrogation of Stanford’s values by students and community members.

Sparked by a call from Somali and Black student groups at the University of Minnesota, the rally was a part of a nationwide strike encouraging participants to take a stand with “no work,” “no school” and “no shopping”.

The rally was a joint effort involving the Black Student Union, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Asian American Action Committee and Tech for Liberation, among others. Organizers on both sides of the stage waved Mexican and Palestinian flags.

Sabrina Deriche ’26, a Minneapolis native, described ICE operations in her hometown during a speech at the rally. “I have witnessed in Minneapolis this…bone-chilling effect where the streets have been empty, a lot of businesses have closed down,” Deriche told The Daily.

She recounted witnessing a community defense network mobilize to protect a neighbor from an ICE agent. “What they want is silence. What they want is us to comply… We need to stand up.”

Jaeden Clark ’26, who delivered an unscripted speech at the rally, connected these fears to the historical grievances of Black Americans.

“What we’re seeing with ICE… is something that the Black community has seen time and time again,” Clark said, citing a “long-brewing history of state violence” that links police brutality in the U.S. to militarized enforcement borders globally.

Several speeches pointed to the University’s role in recruiting for firms like Palantir, a data analytics company co-founded by Peter Thiel B.A. ’89 B.S. ’89 J.D. ’92. “The link[s] between Stanford and Gaza and Stanford and ICE [are] clear,” said Anna Bigelow, a member of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine who was tabling at the student organized protest.

Palantir has been implicated in the “militarization” of daily life domestically and in foreign conflicts, such as the conflict in Gaza, speakers said. Bigelow argued that the surveillance technologies incubated in Silicon Valley and deployed by the U.S. military abroad are appearing in domestic contexts.

“The technologies that Palantir has been developing… are exactly the same technologies that have been used for targeted assassinations and killings in Palestine,” Bigelow said. “None of these conflicts are new. The way in which the conflicts are being prosecuted is enabled by Stanford’s investments.”

Sengthay, who sponsored a unanimous UGS resolution endorsing the rally, criticized the company for its contracts with ICE and the Department of Defense.

“We likely know folks who come from mixed status or immigrant households, or may be undocumented themselves. This fear is real. It’s not abstract,” Sengthay said in his speech. “If we don’t act, it’s a failure.”

Sengthay urged students to view their future employment as a moral stance. “The question we want to ask our student body is: How do you align your values with where you work?”

“We supply the intellectual knowledge necessary, the human capital necessary to run these companies,” said Allana Moore ’27, representing Stanford Tech for Liberation. “Sending our students to places like Palantir, to Lockheed Martin, to Google… that is not only complicity, it’s contribution.”

The Daily has reached out to the University for comment.

Moore used the platform to pitch an alternative: the Do Good Now Career Fair, scheduled for March 4, which aims to highlight jobs outside the defense and finance sectors. “Our labor is our leverage,” she added.

Organizers emphasized that the rally was only the tip of the iceberg for organizing groups.

Juhae Song ’28, a member of SJP, reminded the crowd that the sustainability of SJP’s movement relies on the “unflashy” work done in the shadows.

“None of the big mobilizations, rallies, and big movements can happen without people organizing and building in the meantime, during the lulls,” Song said. “When organizing doesn’t look really cool… it’s just hard work.”

Amanda Campos ’26, a rally organizer, said “it is essential to continue to organize day in and day out… to pressure Stanford to become the University we deserve.”

As the crowd dispersed, the energy remained high — a testament to what Hakeem Shindy ’27 described as the best turnout he had seen since his freshman year. 

But for faculty members like Bigelow, the size of the crowd was less important than the clarity of the students’ message regarding their own institution.

“Students are taking these initiatives and making their voices heard because they’re not hearing their voices heard elsewhere,” Bigelow said. “Or they’re not hearing those options… being recognized by the administration.”

A previous version of this article misstated the nature of Anna Bigelow’s participation in the rally. The Daily regrets this error.

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