Vice President Mike Pence addressed a smaller-than-expected commencement this year as dozens of Notre Dame students silently stood up and left as he took the podium Sunday.
Notre Dame human rights group We StaND For organized the walkout to protest the vice president's policies on immigration and LGBTQI rights. There were more than 100 participants.
Protesters left quietly and respectfully.
During his introduction, a Notre Dame administrator lauded Pence, as a "man of principle," even for "those who disagree with [him]."
The vice president and former Indiana governor continued his speech uninterrupted.
"This university (Notre Dame) is a vanguard of the freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas at a time, sadly, when free speech and civility are waning on campuses across America," Pence said in his speech. He did not comment on the walkout.
This is one of several protests of commencement speeches by members of President Donald Trump's administration. Earlier this month, students staged a similar protest of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black university in Daytona, Florida.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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