All,
Recently, I was made aware of one of our students, Jiaye You, a senior in the UB’s BFA program in Art and Technology being recently detained by ICE agents while attending a routine immigration hearing in New York City. UUP Buffalo Center Chapter strongly condemns the unlawful actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We stand with our neighbors, including faculty, staff, and students from all countries of origin, who are being torn from their families or subjected to violent detentions despite acting lawfully to protect their communities. ICE’s ongoing campaign of violence marked by racial profiling, warrantless arrest, excessive force, and a total lack of accountability, must end now!
The Faculty in the Department of Art have been in contact with Jiaye, his family, and the university. UB has been actively working with his family and legal team to support efforts to secure his release.
Jiaye is an important part of our community — a dedicated student, a thoughtful artist, and someone his classmates and professors care deeply about. His absence is felt. His family is deeply worried, and we are doing everything we can to support him and help bring him back to campus to finish the degree he has worked so hard for.
Please consider donating to help cover immediate legal expenses and bond.
In solidarity,
Kathleen Kielar
Chapter President
UUP Buffalo Center