A California university suspended its collaboration with border security after threats from 'woke' students

The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) decided to end its participation in a federal program that allowed campus police to collaborate with agencies linked to border security, after student groups organized protests against the partnership.

The institution ceased participation in the ''Operation Stonegarden'', a program of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that funds state and local police agencies to cooperate with the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in border protection. Although a significant portion of the resources is aimed at combating drug and human trafficking, and not directly at enforcing immigration laws, the collaboration generated strong opposition among students.

The University of San Diego police had been receiving funds from Operation Stonegarden since 2012. Part of those resources had been used to patrol coastal areas near the campus, an activity that became the center of criticism from student organizations opposed to the immigration policies of President Donald Trump.

In February, the relationship between the university police and the federal program was confirmed. From then on, students began to pressure university administrators, arguing that the cooperation could ''put at risk'' students who are in the United States illegally and international students.

Aryan Dixit, president of the Student Union for Civil Liberties, stated during a protest that the grants were harming the community and undermining trust in campus police.

The subversive student pressure increased in the following weeks. According to internal emails, some students threatened to organize large gatherings to demand the end of the university's participation. By the end of February, the campus police chief communicated in a private meeting with Dixit that the institution would withdraw from the program.

Subsequently, internal documents confirmed that the University of San Diego had decided to stop using the operation's funds and that it did not plan to apply for the grant again. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office also confirmed that the university would not continue to be part of the program.

The chancellor of UC San Diego, Niraj Dangoria, defended the institution's position and assured that the university is committed to maintaining a ''safe and welcoming environment'' for all its members, regardless of their immigration status.

However, Operation Stonegarden remains active in numerous jurisdictions in California, including Riverside, San Diego, and Los Angeles counties. In 2024, the program allocated more than 12 million dollars to California, including about 7.5 million for San Diego County, an area particularly strategic due to its border with Mexico.