Dozens of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and workers gathered on campus Wednesday to demand the school cut ties with companies profiting from immigration enforcement operations.
The U of I protest is part of a national campaign by the Service Employees International Union. The local version launched at Willard Airport on Saturday, with a focus on Global Crossing Airlines, Hilton Hotels, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Flock Safety.
“All of these corporations are profiting from this inhumanity. This university should not be doing business with them,” said SEIU Local 73 Field Organizer Ricky Baldwin.
Baldwin pointed to the case of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student and SEIU union member. The Trump administration revoked her student visa and arrested her because of an op-ed she wrote supporting pro-Palestinian student activists.
“A year ago, a SEIU member was grabbed off the street by masked men,” Baldwin said. “This administration never claimed that that was a mistake.”
U of I says it does not work with GlobalX directly
The New York Times reported that Global Crossing Airlines flies both men’s basketball players to NCAA championship games and people being deported – sometimes on the same plane, on the same day.
U of I spokesperson Pat Wade said the school does not pay Global Crossing Airlines or contract directly with the company, also known as GlobalX.
He said the university contracts with Anthony Travel, which may work with GlobalX for some flights. He added the NCAA oversees travel arrangements for its tournaments.
Unions seeks additional protections for immigrant workers
The University of Illinois Police Department, as required by state law, does not arrest or detain anyone based on their immigration status. The Graduate Employees’ Organization at U of I has started negotiations on the union’s next contract and plans to advocate for additional protections for immigrant workers.
“We think that the university needs to act quickly on this considering how quickly the national situation keeps changing, and we don’t expect to have a contract finalized for at least several more months,” said Xenia Osterhout, a GEO member who helped organize the campaign.
Osterhout said the Campus Labor Coalition behind the campaign hopes to have another protest in a couple of weeks to deliver its petition to U of I administrators.
The petition calls for the university to provide resources for students in the event they are deported, such as a consistent pathway for them to complete their degrees and legal support if they are detained, injured or have their visas revoked.