Hundreds protest canceled 'Catch an Illegal' game at UT

AUSTIN — Hundreds of students, including many undocumented immigrants, rallied on the University of Texas campus Wednesday to protest a mock immigration sting planned by a conservative student group but canceled amid a backlash.

The student group University Leadership Initiative, which advocates for immigration rights, organized the event, which peaked with around 500 attendees, according to an unofficial estimate from campus police.

“It's really amazing," said Diana Morales, president of ULI. “We were expecting 100 people, and hundreds showed up. It's really empowering that they all support undocumented immigrants.”

About 400 undocumented immigrants attend the University of Texas, she said.

Actress America Ferrera attended the rally, condemning the “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game” planned by the Young Conservatives of Texas' UT chapter. The game was scheduled for Wednesday and would have rewarded participants with $25 gift cards for catching volunteers wearing name tags that read “illegal immigrant.”

Nicholas Chan (from left), Ariel Hernandez and Jennifer Tran gather as students demonstrate at the University of Texas against a mock immigration roundup that a conservative student group had planned and later canceled. less Nicholas Chan (from left), Ariel Hernandez and Jennifer Tran gather as students demonstrate at the University of Texas against a mock immigration roundup that a conservative student group had planned and later ... more Photo: Photos By Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Photos By Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Hundreds protest canceled 'Catch an Illegal' game at UT 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

“I was greatly disappointed to learn that a student group on this campus had planned to hold a disturbing and demeaning game based on bigotry and hate,” said Ferrera, a daughter of immigrants.

Students and activists packed the West Mall at the base of the UT Tower, some donning white shirts reading “undocumented” and chanting “Si se puede” (or “Yes we can”), “up, up with education; down, down with deportation” and “immigrant rights are human rights.”

Jon Scott, a broadcast journalism senior, said the rally was “one of the loudest and most passionate” he's seen on campus.

During the event, an organizer used a bullhorn to give out U.S. House Speaker John Boehner's office phone number and urged attendees to call to voice support for immigration reform.

Speakers at the event voiced support for a federal immigration policy with a pathway to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States.

YCT-UT's chairman, Lorenzo Garcia, said Monday that the “game” was meant to garner attention and was aimed at sparking discussion on immigration policy.

The provocative idea sparked condemnation from Republicans and Democrats, university officials and hundreds of students. Amid the resounding backlash, Garcia officially canceled the game Tuesday morning, a day before the event was scheduled, citing fear of retaliation from the school.

Garcia also mentioned in his cancellation statement that the counter-protest, which had swelled to nearly 4,000 RSVPs on Facebook, “could create a safety issue for our volunteers.” University officials said Tuesday that more than 500 formal complaints were submitted regarding the game. That's more than for any other single event.

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