Students and faculty at Cal State Long Beach held a rally on Wednesday protesting school- and systemwide budget cuts, and calling on CSULB to to defend diversity, equity, inclusion programs and undocumented students.

Nearly 100 protesters gathered at the CSULB’s upper campus around midday, marched toward Brotman Hall, listened as speakers shared the group’s demands and held signs.

The rally was part of a student- and faculty-led Week of Action, with marches and rallies planned at various Cal State University campuses. The statewide protests began Monday with a walkout at Cal State San Marcos and continued Tuesday at Cal State L.A.

The activists across the participating campuses have shared their demands, which include ending Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget cuts and layoffs, declaring CSU schools as sanctuaries from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and resisting efforts to end ethnic studies courses and other DEI initiatives.

“We are deeply disappointed in what is supposed to be an institution for all students,” CSULB student Luis Ortiz, a member of Students for Quality Education, said in a statement.

That statement actually came from a separate student group, For Undocumented Empowered Leaders, or Fuel, which advocates for the rights of undocumented students, educates them about resources, and provides a safe space for support and community. But Ortiz, who is not part of Fuel, read the statement on the group’s behalf because its members were afraid to go to the rally.

“Our students don’t feel safe,” Ortiz added. “Instead, we feel oppressed, unsafe and overlooked. Admin has not been doing enough to provide us with a sense of safety and support for our success at this institution.”

Other participating student organizations were Anakbayan Long Beach, La Fuerza and CSULB Students for Justice in Palestine, as well as members of the California Faculty Association.

The university, for its part, says on its website that officials won’t share information about immigration status, religion, nationality, ethnicity or other personal information about individual students or employees with anyone, including law enforcement, without the students’ or employees’ permission — unless presented with a warrant, court order or other legally binding requirement.

“The CSU recognizes the fear and uncertainty that our undocumented community is experiencing, and we support faculty, staff and students, and their right to voice their concerns,” CSULB spokesperson Jim Milbury said in a Wednesday statement. “We are doing what is within our legal means to support this population and ensure they are aware of their rights and have access to a range of resources and support services.”

The 23-campus Cal State University system has around 9,500 undocumented students receiving nonresident tuition exemptions, according to CSULB.

Similar to other universities, CSULB has a Dream Success Center, which provides services, resources and support to members of the campus community impacted by immigration policy.

But during the rally, students said the center was not accessible and many undocumented students don’t attend for fear of being targeted on campus.

Protesters also demanded that the CSU be transparent with how funds are used on CSULB’s campus, and that the CSU’s deficit not land on students’ shoulders.

As part of statewide budget cuts, Newsom has proposed a $375 million cut — nearly 8% — to the CSU’s general fund appropriation for the 2025-26 school year.

This month, CSU leaders gathered in Sacramento to denounce the cuts, calling them “equivalent to the size and entire operating budget of Fresno State” — about 2,481 faculty positions or 19,800 courses.

“Let’s be clear, our struggle is not just about where our tuition dollars go,” said a student activist, who spoke to the crowd during the rally but did not publicly state their name. “It’s about what kind of education we fund.”

Students also protested the CSU’s Time, Place and Manner policy, which limits when free speech can be practiced on campuses for safety reasons.

On Long Beach’s campus, that policy includes limited areas where students can rally, such as not allowing marches to go through Brotman Hall, as well as not allowing for sound amplification, such as megaphones.

“The CSU is committed to providing a welcoming and safe environment that values freedom of expression as a cornerstone of a democratic society,” Milbury said. “We support the right of members of our campus communities to voice their viewpoints in legal and lawful ways that do not disrupt university operations or infringe on the rights of others.”

Another Week of Action protest is expected to take place at Cal State Fullerton today.