“Where Have All the Student Protests Gone?”
Student protests on U.S. college campuses have significantly declined since 2024, particularly after Donald Trump's return to office, due to increased administrative and federal suppression. Universities have implemented stricter speech and protest policies, while some have cooperated with federal authorities by sharing student data or restricting dissenting voices. Despite these challenges, small-scale protests, such as the 2025 encampment at Occidental College, show that student activism around issues like Gaza continues under high personal risk.
- ▪Between spring and fall of 2024, campus protests dropped by 64 percent before Trump’s reelection.
- ▪After Trump’s return to office, many universities enacted restrictive policies on speech and demonstrations, including banning megaphones and requiring permits for outdoor activities.
- ▪Some universities, including UC Berkeley, shared students’ personal information with the federal government amid threats to lose funding over antisemitism allegations.
- ▪Students like Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk were detained by ICE, while others, like Momodou Taal, left the country under pressure due to their activism.
- ▪Occidental College students reestablished a protest encampment in 2025, marking one of the first sustained protests since 2024, demanding divestment from companies linked to the occupation of Gaza.
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freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "motherjones_right_rail_1", slotId: "ROS_ATF_300x600" }); Trump's return to office let university administrators say their hands were tied.Robyn Stevens Brody/AP Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. It’s become a familiar refrain: something awful happens in the world, and a member of the commentariat asks, “Where are the student protests? Or did those only happen when Biden was president?” Deprived of student targets, they are forced to post ad infinitum about Hasan Piker. Who wouldn’t be bitter? The consistent thread is that kids these days, because they’re protesting or because they’re not, are the problem.
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