The University’s Turning Point USA chapter held its first “Let’s talk” style debate of the semester Tuesday in conjunction with right-wing political commentator and self-described journalist Cam Higby.
The event attracted a crowd of onlookers, some looking to observe the spectacle of debate and others to participate in it themselves.
The debate topic: “Send National Guard to Chicago! Let’s talk!” centered around President Donald Trump’s continued attempts to send the National Guard to Chicago as part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign labeled by critics as inhumane and aggressive.
Higby used the experience of legal immigrants to justify his points on illegal immigration. He said that legal immigrants think those who immigrate illegally receive an unfair advantage.
“Legal immigrants don’t like it when illegal immigrants spit in their face and cut in line,” Higby said.
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Higby told The Daily Illini that the goal of the multi-state college tour is to “show the left that we’re not afraid in the face of violence.”
Many gathered at Higby’s table and expressed their perspectives on the nature of the debate.
A Homer, Illinois, resident Ezekiel Stamps, who is unaffiliated with the University, said he attended to observe the conversations Higby had with students and to become more informed.
“This guy, he’s talking to people and debating them, so I’m here to learn,” Stamps said. “This is not just pointless arguments going back and forth.”
Adriana Carrazco, freshman in ACES, disagreed with Stamps.
“I feel like they’re just arguing about the same things back and forth,” Carrazco said. “It’s just really about their own opinions at this point.”
Carrazco also said Higby’s style of debate made participants feel worse about themselves after engaging in conversation.
“I felt like he’s really good at making people that aren’t knowledgeable feel bad about themselves after,” Carrazco said.
The debate was held from noon to 5 p.m. After the conversations were over, Higby stayed around the area conversing and taking photos with attendees.
Higby said that the debates he had were civil.
“It’s to also show the left that we can have discussions with each other, disagree and not hurt each other, and show the right they also should be fearless,” Higby said.
Higby said he believes the president should send the National Guard to Chicago because “federal law must be enforced,” and that Chicago city officials, like Mayor Brandon Johnson, are seeking to supersede federal law in attempting to prevent ICE agents from carrying out operations.
Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton was also on the Main Quad for a media appearance. One of Stratton’s staff members told The DI that Stratton was unable to give a comment due to time constraints.
Stratton, who is campaigning to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), is currently second-in-command to Gov. JB Pritzker.
Pritzker has made various statements criticizing Trump over the deployment of ICE and other federal agents to Chicago. On Wednesday, Trump said that Pritzker “should be in jail.”
When asked who the country belongs to, Higby expressed his belief that the U.S. only belongs to him and other U.S. citizens.
“This is my country,” Higby said. “It’s the country of everybody who’s a citizen of this country.”
Next to his table was another gathering, held by the University’s Chabad chapter, where Jewish students and community members celebrated the holiday Sukkot and prayed for those Hamas took hostage or killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
When asked if it was disrespectful to continue debating during these prayers and worship, Higby said that he is “Probably, like, the most pro-Israel, pro-Jew person you’re ever going to meet,” and that his debate table was there before the ceremony started.
He added that if he had finished the event sooner, he “would have joined them.”
He showed The DI a bullet casing made into a necklace that he says “likely killed somebody” that he found in Kfar Aza in Israel, a kibbutz that Hamas attacked. He said he wears it every day.
“Why? Because this is evidence that terrorists broke into Israel on October 7th and mass murdered Israeli citizens,” Higby said.
Higby said that since Israel is a topic that divides his side, he avoids talking about it on the tour. He added that conspiracy theories that Israel killed Charlie Kirk are in circulation on his side, and talking about it would “divide his side further” and dishonor Kirk’s memory.
As of Wednesday, the previously active Instagram of the University’s TPUSA chapter was completely blank. On Thursday, a new account representing the chapter was created with only one post. The DI reached out to some of the RSO’s members but has not yet received any comment.
