A group of Florida International University students are fighting back in court after being punished by the school for an on-campus demonstration against the school’s plan to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Several FIU students gathered outside of the federal court house in downtown Miami after a hearing for a lawsuit against the school on Thursday. “We are committed to keeping our Latino and international community safe, and we are committed to getting ICE off FIU,” said Andrew Caro, one of the plaintiffs in the case. “ICE off FIU,” said a demonstrator. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is standing with students, arguing the university violated the First Amendment rights of the students it punished for holding a silent demonstration during an assembly. “The law is clear: students have a right to protest on their campus and the protest that these students engaged in and were punished by their university for was peaceful and nondisruptive, which is exactly what the law protects,” said Nicholas Warren for ACLU of Florida. The students who were punished showed up to an assembly on March 13 wearing shirts that read “ICE off FIU,” protesting the university’s decision to work in tandem with ICE to enforce immigration laws. According to a lawsuit filed against university officials, the students “silently stood for a moment, and then silently walked out.” Police bodycam video appears to show those students standing up during the assembly and facing others in the audience, turning their backs to the speakers on stage. Not long after that display, “The university charged seven of the students with misconduct for violating an FIU rule prohibiting ‘expressive activities’ indoors,” according to the lawsuit. Students gathered outside the courthouse, along with representatives for ACLU of Florida, say this policy violates students’ First Amendment rights. “Our demonstration was peaceful, silent and nondisruptive however our university has still decided to target my peers and I for standing up for our Latino and international community,” said Caro. Inside the courtroom, attorneys for the ACLU asked a judge to block FIU from enforcing that policy while the lawsuit moves forward. “We’re feeling very optimistic that the court will block FIU from enforcing this policy and protect all students on campus from being punished for engaging in First Amendment-protected speech and expression,” said Warren. The judge is expected to deliver a decision in the coming days. Classes for the fall semester at FIU begin on Monday. 7News has reached out to the university for a statement on the lawsuit but have not heard back. ...read more read less