Students across several Central Valley schools walked out of class today as part of coordinated protests against ICE policies.
The demonstrations drew hundreds of students and prompted responses from school districts.
Our crew spoke with students from both Central Unified and Clovis Unified, who said they wanted their voices heard.
Hundreds of Central Valley students walk out from schools in anti-ICE protests
Alexandra Reyna Magana, Junior at Justin Garza High School, said:
I am here out protesting with all, you know, our community, our friends, our classmates, our peers, because we feel that what they’re doing. They’re destroying families.
Genesiss Martinez, also a Junior at Justin Garza High School added:
We’re just here standing for our people.
Others echoed those same comments.
The students highlighted concerns over family separations and racism.
Not every student supported the walkouts or their message.
One student, Kyle Silva, a freshman at Clovis West, openly backed ICE and made his stance clear with a slogan on his sweater.
“It’s because these people here, they believe in abolishing ICE. And, the country. they would not benefit from that. People like ICE are very necessary,” he said.
Regarding the protest itself, Kyle said he believes in people expressing their freedom of speech even if it doesn’t align with his own beliefs.
Other students cited recent deadly shootings involving ICE as motivation to speak out.
We reached out to Clovis Unified and Central Unified for comment. Clovis Unified provided a statement emphasizing classroom attendance and student safety:
“We believe that our students are best served in the classroom, supported by their teachers and school leaders from bell to bell during the school day. We also encourage our students toward developing thinking and their own voice through class activities and learning experiences appropriate to school.”
The district went on to say that is encourages free speech on campus during breaks or lunch to avoid missing important class time.
According to Clovis Unified, students who leave campus without following protocols ae considered truant under the district’s policy.
Other schools that participated in the walkout include Mendota, Madera, and Fresno.