FIU College Republicans group chat shows DACA deportation jokes

Lizandra Portal/Staff Writer

Leaked screenshots of the FIU College Republicans group chat shows members making deportation jokes regarding students who attended a walkout protest on Thursday, Nov. 9 for a “clean” Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals bill.

The group chat screenshots, sent anonymously to Panther Now, show some club members talking about calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have protest attendees deported.

“The recent comments made by individual members of FIU College Republicans does not represent the FIU College Republicans, or the Florida Federation of College Republicans,” Juan Porras, the College Republicans president and a junior majoring in political science, said in a statement to Student Media.

Women and Gender Studies graduate student Allison Sardinas, who helped organize the walkout protest to support DACA students and is a graduate senator at SGC-MMC, was disappointed in what she saw in the screenshots of the chat.

“It works to make students who are already in vulnerable positions feel unsafe,” Sardinas said. “If you have your fellow classmates requesting to deport specific students… it is disconcerting and upsetting.”

Sardinas also started a petition requesting President Mark B. Rosenberg to take the issue seriously.

“Our main goal is twofold, one is to demand justice for students who are targeted unfairly and to make sure that they feel safe in their own university and to make sure we are enforcing our student code of conduct,” Sardinas said. “And two… we want Rosenberg more broadly to understand that there is a culture here at FIU that is antagonistic toward a large portion of our student body [undocumented students, students on visas and international students].”

Sardinas also wants Porras to act as well.

In a statement to Student Media, Porras also briefly mentioned his intent to take action regarding the incident.

“As chairman, I will be doing a thorough look at our general body to ensure that our members represent the best of the party,” Porras said. “The comments made have no place in the Republican Party, and have no place at FIU.”

Student Media has contacted Council for Student Organizations, Campus Life, and Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution for comment.

PantherNOW will update this story as more information becomes available.

Featured Image retrieved from Flickr.