'Find the Illegal Immigrant' Game Sparks Massive Protests

Feb. 22, 2007 — -- Carrying signs and chanting slogans like "Racists out," hundreds of people protested a "Find the Illegal Immigrant" game sponsored by a Republican student group at New York University on Thursday.

In the politically charged version of hide-and-seek sponsored by NYU College Republicans, one volunteer was assigned to walk around the NYU area with a name tag that read "Illegal Immigrant." The first person to find the volunteer was supposed to win a gift certificate for an undisclosed amount. When word of the game began spreading across campus over the weekend, several other student groups organized a protest.

"The game is going to bring awareness" to the issue of immigration, said Sarah Chambers, President of the NYU College Republicans, at the protest. "This is a dialogue. ... This is an event the community is talking about. I guarantee you that if we had a debate" on illegal immigration, the media would not have been there, she said.

But instead of creating dialogue, most of the protestors who chanted, carried signs and handed out flyers were separated from the table set up by the Republican group by a police perimeter closely watched by campus security and NYU staffers.

Dave Hancock, a 21-year-old NYU senior and a member of Students Creating Radical Change, one of the primary organizers of the protest, found the game's premise offensive and racist.

"This is a spontaneous coalition [of campus groups] that emerged [to fight] the offensive political event organized by Republicans," said Hancock, a 21-year-old NYU senior and a member of Students Creating Radical Change, one of the primary organizers of the protest.

Characterizing the game as a "dehumanizing exercise in immaturity," Hancock said the protesters purpose in being there was to "be pro-active and stand in solidarity with undocumented folks."

"The idea of the event in general is disgusting," said 18-year-old neuroscience major Jordan Maki, a freshman.

Maki also said ads for the event "racialized the immigrants" by depicting them solely as Hispanic. Republican group members continuously said they were never targeting one group.