The Boca House of Representatives faced a sit-in with community members protesting the 287(g) agreement that the Florida Atlantic University Police Department signed on July 24 with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train officers to enforce certain immigration laws on school grounds.

The meeting was nearly canceled after the House failed to meet a quorum at first, which upset the protesters. About ten people attended the Friday meeting to speak against the agreement during the public forum and stood up in their seats holding a “Terminate 287(g)” banner. 

“We have a student body that is terrified of ICE,” said Oliver Larkin, a candidate for Congress in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, speaking during the heated moment. He said the student body, which invited him to attend the public meeting, deserves answers from FAU Police Chief Sean Brammer and the university administration.

The President of Turning Point USA at FAU, Nick Coyte, also shared his opinion during the forum, which opposed the protesters in the room. “The people that profess to be opponents of democracy, who are the same characters that walk up and down the Breezeway and shout and prevent dialogue from taking place, are quite hostile to their fellow students,” he said. 

On Sept. 5, community members marched through FAU’s Boca Raton campus to protest the university’s partnership in the immigration enforcement program. FAU Police Chief Brammer told the University Press in an August interview that participation was not optional, as the agency had to follow the Florida governor’s directive. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued the directive on February 19, urging all state law enforcement agencies to participate in the program.

Rep. Enrique Toro-Mendez proposed a motion to end the public forum and move new business to the top of the agenda. This angered some protesters, who saw it as an attempt by representatives to silence public voices. Alexander Lambridis, an FAU student and vice president of the University Democrats, called the action “absolutely abhorrent, to say the least.” The motion was ultimately rejected by a majority of the House.

“Right now, there’s a lingering shadow hanging over our campus. A shadow called 287(g),” said Lambridis. “This is not just policy, it’s personal. It affects our classmates. It affects people who sit next to in lecture halls, who study late in the library, and who work on campus to pay tuition. It creates fear where there should be safety, suspicion where there should be solidarity.” 

Isaiah Sewell is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email isaiahsewell542@gmail.com.