Chants were spread far throughout Huntley Village Square on Friday, Feb. 20 as students walked off campus, following Harmony Road and Main Street to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations as part of a renewed effort by the Trump administration to continue mass deportations.
The demonstration, lasting from the beginning of 5th hour to roughly the middle of 7th hour, drew approximately 250 students who gathered with signs and chants such as “I.C.E. OUT!” and “NO FEAR, NO PEACE. GET I.C.E. OFF OF OUR STREETS!”
Sophomore Teagan Husk said she was determined to attend after a friend moved back to Pakistan due to concerns of deportation.
“That’s not right,” Husk said. “People shouldn’t be fearing for their lives.”
Fellow sophomore Corey Rose described the walkout as an effort to show that high schoolers are paying attention to national policy debates.
“It’s one class period,” Rose said. “If the government sees that young people don’t support this, that matters.”
Junior Hailey Haiges said she walked out because she believes that immigration officials have irreparably harmed immigrants who do not deserve to be removed from the country.
“I believe in the cause,” Haiges said. “Any voice trying to push for change is a good voice.”
Whether the protest will have any national effect remains unclear, but for those who gathered in the town square, the message was clear: they demanded to have their voices heard.
