STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Just a day after students staged a walkout at Susan E. Wagner High School, over 100 students from Port Richmond High School held a demonstration against recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
The peaceful but at times raucous group of peers assembled just after 1:30 p.m. Friday outside the school grounds and proceeded to walk around the corner to the intersection of Innis Street and John Street.
Along the way, students displayed signs and joined in chants.
One sign read: “Our parents fought for our future now we will fight for theirs.”
“Freedom and liberty for all but families are being torn apart and ‘Animals’ are being killed by ICE,” another sign read.
On a number of occasions, the students shouted “F–k ICE” and “ICE out.”
“No justice, no peace, no ICE in our streets,” was another chant that rang out as a group of students repeatedly banged on a waste bin at the corner of Innis Street and St. Josephs Avenue.
Manuel Torres Mendes, a senior at Port Richmond High School, told the Advance/SILive.com that he organized Friday afternoon’s walkout.
He said he was “sick and tired” of students not having a voice on the matter.
“This is why I prefer to organize this, so that way we can actually speak our own mind and peace,” Manuel said.
According to the Mexican American senior, his sister was kidnapped by the cartel in Mexico and his mother subsequently fled the country and sought sanctuary in the U.S.
“Basically what we left is coming to our country, to the United States, where ICE agents are shooting up people, where the ICE agents are capturing people,” he said.
“I am sick and tired of what ICE agents are doing in my community,” he added. “Not just here in Port Richmond High School, not just in Port Richmond, but Staten Island, New York City, New York State and my country that I love. I don’t hate this country, but I hate how the current administration is running it.”
When asked for his message to those in favor of legal immigration, Manuel encouraged them to do research.
“Once you find out how the process is, you guys are going to realize, we have no other choice. We have no other choice to immigrate here — illegally,“ he said. ”We have no other choice but to actually come here by person, rather than waiting for a process that takes over 20 years.”
Markisha, a parent who declined to share her last name, did not know the walkout was happening, but told the Advance/SILive.com she was proud of the demonstration.
“They’re fighting for each other, so that’s something to be proud of,” she said. “They go to school together, they live together, they work together, they are together; we are as one. There’s no dividing us.”
Harlow Gavins, an 11th grade student, expressed that by walking out she hoped to show that “everybody is human.”
“Immigrants basically built this country and Trump is fighting to break it with all his nonsense policies and all the brutality that he is causing,” she told the Advance/SILive.com.
When asked for her message to those in favor of legal immigration and ICE doing their job, Gavins said the following:
“I believe in you guys, I trust you guys, but you have to realize that what Trump is doing is not constitutional. If you’re for the legal side then that’s great, go buy the Constitution, it was made to protect not only immigrants, but everybody that comes to America and is from America.”
“I came out here just to support my fellow citizens. Nobody is illegal on stolen land, you know? And just F–k ICE.” Reyli, a senior at Port Richmond High School, said.
NYPD on the scene ensured a safe procession around the school perimeter and aided the flow of traffic.