The student, a junior at Torrey Pines High School, was disciplined in February by school administrators after posting pro-ICE flyers reading, “We [heart] ICE \u2014 Real Americans,” according to a Wednesday announcement<\/a> by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (“FIRE”).<\/p>\n The student told Fox News Digital he posted the flyers because he wanted to express support for ICE and offer a counterpoint to anti-ICE sentiment on campus.<\/p>\n “I believe in ICE’s mission and I think we should enforce our immigration laws,” he told Fox News Digital. “I also wanted to provide an opposing view to the anti-ICE opinions that the majority of students, teachers, and administrators at Torrey Pines seem to have and often share. I wanted to show students that the issue isn\u2019t one-sided and that their opinions are common and matter, too.”<\/p>\n A San Diego high school student was suspended after posting flyers that read, “We [heart] ICE-Real Americans.” (iStock\/FIRE)<\/p>\n IT’S NOT STUDENTS ORGANIZING ICE WALKOUTS \u2014 HERE’S WHO’S REALLY BEHIND THE NATIONWIDE PROTESTS<\/a><\/p>\n The student said he was called into the assistant principal’s office two days after he had posted the flyers and was told the flyers were “unacceptable,” “fighting words,” “incendiary” and “dehumanizing.”<\/p>\n School officials reportedly told the student he was punished for breaking school rules prohibiting “harassment” and “intimidation,” according to FIRE. The group said the flyers were posted in school common areas where other political flyers had also been placed.<\/p>\n Attorneys for FIRE noted that just two weeks prior to this incident, hundreds of Torrey Pines students walked out of class<\/a> to protest ICE and the Trump administration.<\/p>\n The student said it was frustrating to be punished for his sign after anti-ICE students used harsher language during the earlier walkout and were not, to his knowledge, similarly punished.<\/p>\n Individuals clap outside their home as hundreds of students march in protest against ICE and the Trump Administration near Navajo Road on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)<\/p>\n SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SUSPENDED AFTER MAGA HAT SPARKS DISPUTE<\/a><\/p>\n “It made me feel like the school wants to punish me and silence me just because administrators think my views are wrong,” he told Fox News Digital. “I’m glad the other students were allowed to share their anti-ICE views, but I have every [bit as] much right as they do to share my own. It felt especially unfair because some of their signs used swear words and other epithets while mine was very tame.”<\/p>\n Photos from the February 6 student walkout shared on social media show students holding signs<\/a> that read, “If You\u2019re an I.C.E. Agent Ya Mom\u2019s a Hoe!!,” and “ICE is KKK spelled differently.”<\/p>\n He also disagreed with the school\u2019s characterization of his flyers as “harassment” or “intimidation.”<\/p>\n “It didn’t make any sense to me, because how can a poster that says \u2018I [Heart] ICE – Real Americans\u2019 harass or intimidate anyone?” he asked. “I never bothered anyone or did anything disruptive. All I did was quietly post some flyers.”<\/p>\n A young communist holds up her sign at an anti-ICE rally at Foley Square in New York City on Jan. 8, 2026. (Nikolas Lanum\/Fox News Digital)<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE<\/a><\/p>\n The San Dieguito Union High School District told Fox News Digital it cannot speak publicly about student discipline issues due to privacy laws, but said the student was not suspended over his political beliefs.<\/p>\n “The San Dieguito Union High School District has not and does not discipline students because of their political viewpoints,” school officials said in a statement. “The District supports students\u2019 rights to express their viewpoints while also maintaining school campuses that are safe, orderly, and respectful learning environments for everyone.”<\/p>\n “Nevertheless, we note that schools do have rules that govern student conduct and campus safety, including policies that prohibit discrimination and harassment. The District applies these rules fairly and impartially to help provide and ensure a safe learning environment for all students.”<\/p>\n FIRE announced on Wednesday that school officials agreed to remove the suspension from the student’s record after being contacted by FIRE attorneys.<\/p>\n “School administrators can\u2019t pick and choose which opinions students are allowed to express,” said FIRE Supervising Senior Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick. “Voicing an opinion which makes others upset is not \u2018harassment\u2019 or \u2018intimidation,\u2019 it is American democracy in action.”<\/p>\n Signage is displayed outside Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California, on Friday, July 10, 2020. (Bing Guan\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “We\u2019re pleased the school has erased the suspension and will be watching closely to ensure the school respects its students\u2019 First Amendment<\/a> rights,” he added. “The law is clear: Public schools must allow students to peacefully express their political opinions.”<\/p>\n![\"School](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ice-sign-hallway.png\")
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