On Jan. 30, the west steps of the California State Capitol were packed shoulder to shoulder with teenagers in hoodies and backpacks, with cardboard signs lifted above their heads and chants echoing.
“ICE out now.”
“No borders, no nations, stop the deportations.”
“Protect our families.”
Bright poster boards and Sharpie-lettered slogans bobbed above the crowd. Several read “DUE PROCESS” in thick block letters. Others said “Abolish ICE” or “Nothing is more American than opposing tyranny.” Red campaign-style placards declaring “Protect Our Families” stood out against the sea of black sweatshirts and denim. Some students waved Mexican flags. Others filmed on their phones or passed around water bottles as the late-winter sun warmed the Capitol lawn.
More than 1,000 students from several Sacramento City Unified School District high schools and one from the Elk Grove Unified School District walked out of class and gathered downtown, turning the Capitol into a rally point for a youth-led protest against federal immigration enforcement.
The walkout was part of a coordinated nationwide day of action in which organizers urged people to skip work, school and shopping to oppose what they describe as “a deadly immigration crackdown under Donald Trump’s second term in office.”
Students said they were motivated by fear spreading through immigrant communities and by two fatal shootings this month during federal immigration operations in Minneapolis. They called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and urged Sacramento leaders to reaffirm sanctuary protections for families.
At the demonstration at the Capitol building, students created a memorial for Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two American citizens from Minneapolis who were shot and killed by federal immigration officers while protesting immigration raids earlier this month. Russell Stiger II, OBSERVER
Participants included students from C.K. McClatchy High School, Luther Burbank High School, Rosemont High School, Health Professions High School, Hiram Johnson High School, West Campus High School, The Met Sacramento High School and Florin High School.
On Jan. 7, 37-year-old Renée Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot during an immigration enforcement action. Less than three weeks later, on Jan. 24, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed during protests against those raids. The deaths became rallying points for demonstrations across the country.
For many Sacramento students, the news felt close to home.
Chanel Figueroa, 17, a senior at The Met and one of the organizers, said the rally came together quickly.
“Health Professions started organizing, and we joined on Monday,” she said. “We created a safety plan, got all the schools together and made posters, all within a week.”
Because teachers could not formally participate, the effort was entirely student-led. Nearly 200 students came from The Met alone, almost the entire campus.
Figueroa said the walkout reflects the emotional strain many immigrant families are experiencing.
“I’m constantly seeing videos of people getting ripped out of cars, families being ripped apart,” she said. “It makes students feel helpless and drives them away from their education.”
Figueroa said students want more mental health support at school, along with legal resources for families navigating immigration issues.
The more than 1000 high school students overran the west lawn of the Capitol building and more than half also marched to the John Moss Federal Building, where federal immigration offices operate. Russell Stiger II, OBSERVER
Gabriella, 16, a student at McClatchy who asked that only her first name be used out of concern about immigration enforcement, said she nearly stayed home.
“I wasn’t going to come out of safety, just because I am Mexican, and I know that puts me at higher risk,” she said. “But this is my city. I love this city.”
Fear has followed her since childhood, she said.
“People think young people don’t know what’s going on, but we always have,” Gabriella said. “It’s not a joke to us. It’s not something we take lightly.”
During the rally, she told the crowd that America is nothing without its youth and nothing without immigrants.
By late morning, the crowd began moving. Nearly half the students marched several blocks through downtown streets toward the John Moss Federal Building, where federal immigration offices operate. Traffic slowed as the group filled crosswalks, chanting and lifting signs. A few passersby paused to watch. Others honked in support. After circling the building, students returned to the Capitol grounds.
Several local and state leaders attended in support.
Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang said adults should listen when young people demand change.
“Every policy decision we make impacts the future of our young people. They will have to inherit a world that they didn’t create. So everything that we do, we should always make sure that we’re centering their voices.” Vang said. “So when they tell us, abolish ICE … we should be listening to our young people.”
“I’m so proud of these students. I’m really just blown away,” said Assemblymember Maggie Krell. “It shows so much courage and their passion. As a mom and as their assemblywoman, I’m just really proud of them.”
Many students actively participated in the demonstration on Jan. 30, holding signs that read “Stop ICE” or “ICE out for good” while chants echoed across the Capitol lawn. Russell Stiger II, OBSERVER
Speaking about the shooting death of Pretti involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Krell said, “It’s absolutely brutal. It is ICE brutality,” adding, “From every video angle I’ve seen, he was executed.”
Krell also pushed back on claims that sanctuary policies shield violent offenders.
“This administration’s narrative on sanctuary cities is just a big lie,” she said. “It doesn’t stop us from turning over violent felons to ICE. Any time an ICE agent has a warrant, they can execute it.”
She believes the enforcement approach appears broad rather than targeted.
“We’ve seen them do these mass raids where they’re indiscriminately picking people up. Once in a while, they get someone with a criminal record, but mostly they don’t,” Krell continued.
Councilmember Karina Talamantes and State Sen. Angelic Ashby also spoke with students and encouraged civic engagement.
In a brief statement issued Thursday, the Sacramento City Unified School District said it supports students’ right to free speech but clarified the walkouts were not district-organized.
“We wish to express our unwavering support for students who choose to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech,” the district said, adding that it “does not organize or endorse student protests but respects students’ right to express themselves safely.”
As the rally wound down, the noise softened into small clusters of conversation. Students checked their phones, swapped stories and prepared to head back to campus.
“It shows us that students have power,” Figueroa said. “We’re willing to organize and put in the effort to make a change.”
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