GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of University of Florida students are asking for an immigration attorney to be added on campus following the deportation of an international student who was initially arrested over a traffic violation.
On Wednesday, dozens of UF students gathered to protest the deportation of Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, from Colombia, who was stopped on March 28 by Gainesville Police following a traffic violation, arrested and later detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A UF spokesperson confirmed with News4JAX that Zapata Velásquez is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Food and Resource Economics at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Several media outlets reported on Wednesday that Zapata Velásquez was back in Colombia.
The organizer of Wednesday’s protest told News4JAX they created a petition to collect signatures demanding that an immigration attorney be added on campus. He said the goal is for students like Zapata Velásquez “receive the services that they need” and prevent another case like this from happening again.
In a Spanish interview with the Colombian radio network W Radio, Zapata Velásquez’s mother said her son had been in the United States for six years and was in the process of renewing his international student visa.
“ICE is proceeding with my son as if he was a criminal, and he is not,” she told W Radio on April 1.
According to his mother, the student was taken to Jacksonville and was told by immigration officials he could await his case’s resolution in jail or sign documents agreeing to his self-deportation.
According to The Gainesville Sun, a Gainesville police officer stopped Zapata Velásquez driving near the UF football stadium and ticketed him because his sedan’s registration had expired in July 2024, and his driver’s license had expired in 2023.
News4JAX reached out to UF officials regarding the student’s deportation and asked if the university is considering the students’ demands for an immigration attorney.
Federal privacy laws that guarantee a student’s right to privacy are not restricted to their immigration status or current location. As such, I will reiterate that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents us from discussing additional information regarding this matter.
However, I can confirm that Felipe Zapata Velasquez remains an enrolled [student] at the University of Florida.
Beyond that, we have nothing to add.
Cinthya Roldán, UF Director of Public Affairs
Roldán also confirmed with News4JAX on Friday that the university has signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE.
According to its website, the program allows ICE “to enhance collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws.”
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News4JAX also reached out to Gainesville Police to obtain Zapata Velásquez’ incident report and body camera video, and we are still waiting to hear back.