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Politicians, student organizations condemn CRU at ASU event planned for Friday

College Republicans United at ASU faced criticism for event to "report their criminal classmates to ICE"

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Exterior Memorial Union sign on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 in Tempe.


Student organizations at the University are going public with statements addressing a College Republicans United at ASU's tabling event planned for this Friday, where students are asked to report their peers to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Aliento at ASU

Aliento at ASU released a statement on social media this Thursday, condemning the actions of CRU at ASU and inviting community members to electronically sign the statement in support. The statement said this tabling event is a direct violation of the Arizona Board of Regents Code of Conduct and the student club handbook guidelines

Aliento at ASU also urged the University to ensure ICE officials do not enter any University campus, as well as give consequences to organizations that break the handbook guidelines and instead allow for students, regardless of immigration status, to fully participate in school without fear of harassment or discrimination. 

"It seems like they try to basically make a racist movement and call it tabling, just so that it gets passed by," said Britney Vera, a junior studying business and the secretary at Aliento at ASU. "But I also know that ASU is very lenient with things like that, and they've been known to, in the past, kind of struggle with putting a stop to the racism, protests and all of that."

Vera said Aliento at ASU is preparing a rally for this Friday, named "Stand with ASU Dreamers."

"We just really want to get the message across that nobody should feel unsafe to come to their classes," Vera said. "Nobody should be discriminated."

College Republicans at ASU

The College Republicans at ASU also released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reaffirming that the organization is not associated with CRU at ASU, and their statements are not reflective of College Republicans' "own beliefs and the core values of our club."

"Encouraging other ASU students to report Classmates to ICE for deportation undermines the Sun Devil community," the statement said.  "While we support the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws, we believe that this process must be conducted with fairness and compassion, rather than through actions that may foster division and fear among students."

Alex Stansberry, a junior studying business entrepreneurship and the president of College Republicans at ASU, said the organization, which is dedicated to spreading a conservative ideological message on campus, couldn't be further from CRU at ASU.

"We do sit on the conservative side, but we want to invite everybody," Stansberry said. "We want to have a safe space for everybody who maybe just wants to learn a little bit about why we think this or whatnot."

Stansberry also said CRU at ASU's hostile approach to immigration is "foolish" and "foolhardy."

"This country was built on immigration," Stansberry said. "I truly believe that everybody here, barring the Native Americans, at some point, their ancestors are an immigrant."

The College Republicans' statement also offered assistance for any student who is seeking U.S. citizenship, encouraging them to reach out and attend the organization’s meetings. 

Undergraduate Student Government

USG-T said in a statement Thursday evening that they "acknowledge the emotional and mental toll this has taken on students who now feel unwelcome or even threatened in their own learning environment."

The statement said the student government is actively calling on University administration to take action and address campus concerns surrounding student safety and the well-being of students affected by the tabling on Friday. 

"The Undergraduate Student Government remains steadfast in our mission to ensure that every student — regardless of background — feels safe, supported, and respected at ASU," according to the USG-T statement.

USG-Downtown and USG-West Valley also issued statements via Instagram.


USG-T published its view on the CRU event via Instagram on Jan. 30.


The Chicano/Latino Law Student Association

The Chicano/Latino Law Student Association also released a statement Thursday, condemning CRU at ASU for encouraging "students to report their peers to ICE for deportation." The statement said the decision to organize this event contradicts the University's inclusive values. 

"We are definitely strongly calling on ASU to ensure that this doesn't happen," said Jacob Martinez, a law student and the pro bono chair of CLLSA. "We measure ourselves not by whom we exclude, but by whom we include, and if the University is going to have that all over campus and staple that everywhere, they need to ensure that they're actually living by that and ensure that things like this don't happen on campus."

Martinez said the action of CRU at ASU is "disgusting. It's gross, and to a lot of students, it's intimidating." He also said compelling students to report other students is an act of racial profiling. 

"You're basing that off of an assertion because they look brown or they speak Spanish, right?" Martinez said. "That's clearly discriminatory."

The statement from CLLSA calls upon ASU to take immediate action and address the situation, urging that it is imperative to enforce University policies to ensure all students have a learning environment free of fear or hostility. 

"Otherwise, change the motto," Martinez said.

The Democratic Association of Law Students

The Democratic Association of Law Students condemned CRU at ASU encouraging students to report others to ICE in an Instagram post Thursday. They referenced the ASU Charter and the ABOR Student Code of Conduct Policy Manual 5-308(B)(1), both of which they said CRU at ASU violated when they announced their tabling event. 

“To our fellow ASU students and peers, especially undocumented students and Dreamers, please know that we stand with you and that you belong in our campus community," according to the DALS statement. 

Young Democrats at ASU

The Young Democrats at ASU released a statement on their Instagram story, calling on the University to "uphold its commitment to inclusivity and student safety."

The statement also advised students to report concerns to ASU administration if they feel unsafe and reach out for support from student advocacy organizations.

Arizona Public Figures

Several politicians and community members in Arizona posted on social media criticizing Friday's event. Among those speaking out against CRU at ASU's event were Sen. Analise Ortiz, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, Rep. Greg Stanton and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

Mayes posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the event "is abhorrent behavior by this extreme right group at ASU."

"Every student should be able to feel safe on campus," Mayes said. "It's appalling to see this division and hatred in our community."

Edited by Alysa Horton, Sophia Braccio, Tiya Talwar, Alexis Heichman and Katrina Michalak. 


Reach the reporter at gheadle@asu.edu and @George_Headley7 on X.

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.


George Headley Politics Editor

George is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked at Times Media Group.


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