By Evelyn Robinson

Students with the University of Maryland’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) held a rally on Nov. 4, urging the administration to make UMD a sanctuary campus that protects immigrant and undocumented students and staff.

A group of UMD students attended YDSA’s rally on Hornbake Plaza to show their support for the organization’s cause. 

The UMD Chapter of the YDSA “fight[s] for economic, environmental, and social justice,” according to their Instagram, @ydsaumd. They advertised the rally by handing out flyers around campus and posting notices on their social media platforms. 

Leonardo Bautista, who was handing out pre-made posters for the rally, considers himself “luckier than a lot of people he knows” for gaining citizenship after coming to the U.S. at a young age. 

“It has created a lot of fear, the actions that the administration has taken, especially in recent months, including removing a lot of information from their websites in support of immigrant and undocumented students. And also being extremely vague on their policy surrounding cooperation with ICE,” Bautista said. 

Charlotte Sutton, a sophomore journalism major, said she found out about the rally through the YDSA’s advertising of their petition outside of Yahentamitsi dining hall. 

“Just hearing about families being disrupted by [ICE], I really wanted to see different people’s perspectives. And I’d like to see the university show non-compliance. I really appreciate what this group’s doing,” Sutton said. 

While Sutton is not directly affiliated with the YDSA, she showed up because she appreciates their work in favor of the protection of immigrants and undocumented individuals. 

An attendee who wished to remain anonymous for privacy reasons stated that it was “self-explanatory” why the rally was important to him as a child of immigrants. 

“It goes without saying that we have to protect immigrants,” the individual said. “If we fail to protect immigrants, then how can we say that we can protect anyone else?” 

At the conclusion of the rally, participants marched to the Thomas V. Miller, Jr. Administration Building to present their petition, aiming to make UMD a sanctuary campus. 

 “It’s important that we all are aware of it,” the individual said. “It’s important to show our opposition to these policies.”

Featured Image: UMD students gather on Hornbake Plaza for YDSA anti-ICE rally on Nov. 4, 2025. Photo by Evelyn Robinson.