“Hundreds Of CPS Students Protest Federal Immigration Crackdown During School Walk-Out”
“Hundreds of Indiana students walk out of schools to protest ICE”
“See students across America organize walkouts to protest ICE”
There have been two common themes in many of the news stories lately. ICE and students. Students are taking action and standing up for what they believe in. Thousands of middle and high school students across America are walking out of class and taking to the streets to protest the atrocious actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after federal agents killed Alex Petti and Renee Good during demonstrations in Minneapolis in January. It is important to note that 8 people have died at the hands of ICE in 2026. It is barely February. Every person who has been killed or died in custody is equally important. These past few weeks seem to have established many people’s breaking point. Below are the names of the 8 people who have died. I encourage you to read their stories and get to know their names.
Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres
Geraldo Lunas Campos
VĂctor Manuel DĂaz
Parady La
Renee Nicole Good
Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz
Heber Sánchez DomĂnguez
Alex Pretti
A series of nationwide student walkouts occurred on January 30th as part of a “National Shutdown,” an organized event asking Americans to skip school, stay home from work, and boycott shopping in protest of ICE’s operations across the country. This stemmed from the one-day economic shutdown in Minnesota. These walkouts created a ripple effect of students becoming inspired to create one of their own. Seeing children walk out across red and blue states alike is truly inspiring. Children don’t see political parties; they see right and wrong. They are taught in schools to treat everyone equally and not to let history repeat itself. Adults are so far removed from the history lessons and the daily pledge of allegiance in classrooms that they seem to have forgotten what America was truly built on. “Liberty and justice for ALL.”
“Our country is built from immigrants from the ground up. Our ancestors would be disappointed.”Â
Powell High School sophomore Emma Noe
Whether you believe in stricter immigration laws or not, you should be able to, at the very least, conclude that an American government agency should not be killing people on the streets. Families are getting torn apart, children are being taken from schools, and people are afraid. There are more than 400 children in ICE detention centers, as of mid year 2025. Centers that we know are inhumane, unlawful, and unjustifiable. “Food contaminated with worms and mold. Limited access to clean drinking water. Inadequate medical care.” That is what one migrant family told Becky Wolozin, a senior lawyer with the National Center for Youth Law. There are countless stories of people trying to reach their loved ones in these facilities, and they can’t because they don’t have their identification number or even because they can’t locate them period. People are moved so frequently that they seem to get lost in the system. Imagine how scary and overwhelming that must be.
“Because you don’t know where they are. Because you call — it doesn’t matter. They don’t give any information. The website is not updated.”
an anonymous family member told Spotlight News
It was never about keeping Americans safe if that only meant white Americans. I think of the diverse community I live and teach in, and how devastated I would be if something happened to one of my students. And unfortunately, that thought isn’t far fetched. 5 year old Liam, a child who was detained by ICE, is the number one reason that I have even allowed myself to think of that scenario. These agents are terrible. They are arresting people based on looks, accents, and just the thrill of having the power for once in their lives. People who have had their racist ideologies vindicated and they feel big because of it. The gun is heavy at their sides, and they are itching and shaking to use it. Â
Children see it, why can’t adults? I truly think that kids are more empathetic and less scared to be judged or in trouble for speaking up for what they believe in. They are brave, strong, and smart. During the past election cycle, I saw a glimmer of hope that my generation would be the one to create real change. I see now that it’s the children. They know that this is egregious and they’re saying something about it. They are walking out and being loud in the streets. Adults need to listen to them and follow their example. I am often humbled by my students, and I am not naĂŻve enough to think they have nothing to teach me. We can all learn from these students. Rather than sit passively in school while the world seems to be crumbling around them, they stood up and took action. This is what we are teaching them. We teach empathy and respect for others. We can not be surprised when they act on it.
I believe that no person is beyond saving. Just like I believe our country isn’t beyond saving. However, you can’t force people to change, they have to be willing to see their mistakes. What is happening is so blatantly wrong. It frightens me that some people can not see the patterns that are forming between what is happening on a daily basis and what happened 80 years ago. No one is illegal on stolen land. No government agency should be targeting and killing people. Listen to children and show them the respect and empowerment they deserve.