{"id":440072,"date":"2026-01-31T03:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T03:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/440072\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T03:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T03:04:18","slug":"hundreds-of-students-walk-out-of-class-across-portland-to-protest-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/440072\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of students walk out of class across Portland to protest ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Students chant at a rally of mostly high school students, alongside other community members, who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Marlen Gonzalez, a high school student, tears up as she speaks at a rally of mostly students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Maya Fuller, a high school student at center, cheers at a rally of mostly high school students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Viola DeVigal, an organizer and leader of the demonstration, sings protest songs with Leone Cook, center, and others at a rally of mostly high school students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Students listen to speakers at a rally of mostly high school students, alongside other community members, who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Backpacks and signs lay on the playground at a rally of mostly high school students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Students raise their fists at a rally of mostly high school students, alongside other community members, who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Students listen from atop a playground structure at a rally of mostly high school students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Signs rest on a play structure as a student climbs it after a rally of mostly high school students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

\uf054<\/p>\n

Hundreds of high school students walked out of their classes across Portland on Friday to protest an immigration enforcement crackdown nationwide, following the recent deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

Students from McDaniel High School in Northeast Portland thronged the street in the early afternoon as they marched west in a light rain. Many carried signs that read \u201cStop ICE Terror Now\u201d as they chanted \u201cThis is what democracy looks like!\u201d<\/p>\n

Across town, students from Roosevelt High School walked out and marched down North Lombard Street, also mirroring actions across the Pacific Northwest and the country.<\/p>\n

Roosevelt senior Jasmin Reyes-Contreras was among those marching along Lombard Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as students care about this issue,\u201d said Reyes-Contreras. \u201cWe as students care about the funding that\u2019s going to ICE because this is impacting everybody. I mean there\u2019s been students who\u2019ve gotten their parents taken away who go to Roosevelt High School.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some school districts in Oregon are giving students unexcused absences for skipping school or walking out before, including for protests. Unexcused absences can affect a student\u2019s eligibility to participate in athletics and other activities.<\/p>\n

\"Viola<\/p>\n

Viola DeVigal, an organizer and leader of the demonstration, left, sings protest songs with Leone Cook, center, and others at a rally of mostly high school students who walked out of class or didn\u2019t attend as part of a general strike in protest of recent U.S. immigration policies, violence and killings, at Glenhaven Park in Portland Ore., on Jan. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

McDaniel sophomore Viola DeVigal helped organize this afternoon\u2019s rally at Glenhaven Park on Northeast 82nd Avenue. She, like many of her classmates, skipped school Friday to protest against deportations and violence involving federal officers in Minneapolis and around the country.<\/p>\n

DeVigal said she was happy with the turnout and excited to see so many of her peers came out to support. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was honestly a really meaningful experience to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it means so much to just see so much of my community and peers show up and show out to support each other and to support the community that is currently struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 28% of McDaniel\u2019s student body is Latino, and DeVigal said she\u2019s heard from students afraid to come to school due to concerns about ICE agents detaining them en route. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurts so much to see my community scared to come to school and just scared to be out,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Roosevelt sophomore Oscar Ribeiro said he\u2019s heard of classmates whose family members have been \u201cdeported or attacked\u201d by ICE.<\/p>\n

Portland Public Schools announced that Friday would be treated as a normal school day, but leaders said they respect the rights of students to protest and speak out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that recent immigration enforcement actions have caused real harm and deep anxiety in many of our schools and neighborhoods, and we are fully committed to supporting and advocating for our immigrant staff, students, and families,\u201d said PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong in a message to families.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A screenshot of the Nationalshutdown.org website, a website that shows actions across the U.S. taking part in national strikes and protests in response to ICE activity in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Kristyna Wentz-Graff \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Businesses join general strike<\/p>\n

Small businesses in the Pacific Northwest also weighed whether to close Friday in solidarity with the nationwide protest, with some in Portland saying they would close and others hesitant due to lost revenue in challenging economic times.<\/p>\n

The loosely organized nationwide general strike has been promoted in recent weeks on websites and social media platforms.<\/p>\n

Opposition to deportation efforts involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has grown dramatically since the shooting deaths of Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis. Others have been killed or hurt by federal immigration agents across the country, including two people who were shot in East Portland on Jan. 8<\/a>. <\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has replaced the person leading detention efforts in Minneapolis, but many are pushing for the federal government to rein in the sometimes violent tactics of federal officers and take further steps to reduce immigration detentions and deportations. Protesters and business owners often rally around the simple mantra of \u201cICE out now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s already been a challenging year financially<\/a> for brick-and-mortar businesses with expenses going up for many companies faster than revenue. On top of the economic challenges, many businesses have feared for the safety of their immigrant workers<\/a> and others who could be targeted by immigration officials. <\/p>\n

\"Owners<\/p>\n

Owners of Mis Tacones, Polo Ba\u00f1uelos, left, and Carlos Reynoso, at the Portland, Ore. restaurant on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. The owners made a joint decision with their staff to close for a general strike on Friday.<\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Portland business owners and married couple Polo Ba\u00f1uelos and Carlos Reynoso were grappling with the decision of whether to close their vegan restaurant<\/a> for the general strike. <\/p>\n

The Mis Tacones founders asked their more than a dozen employees for input. The consensus was to shut down the Northeast Portland restaurant in protest of how immigrants and their allies are being treated by federal immigration officials. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn solidarity, we also decided to close our business,\u201d Ba\u00f1uelos said. \u201cWe want to be able to participate, but this was a collective decision, because as a small business, closing is not easy. Many small businesses cannot afford to close. Their employees cannot afford to lose a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: Eugene business owners grapple with decision to open or close for Friday\u2019s general strike<\/a><\/p>\n

Ba\u00f1uelos and husband Reynoso started Mis Tacones a decade ago, first as a temporary pop-up offering Mexican American meals they enjoyed while living in Los Angeles. In 2022, the couple opened up a permanent brick-and-mortar location on Northeast Killingsworth Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community really liked what we were doing,\u201d Ba\u00f1uelos said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been ourselves, we\u2019ve always been authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Restaurant<\/p>\n

Restaurant manager Liz Gonzalez speaks with the owners of Mis Tacones restaurant in Portland, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Ba\u00f1uelos was born in the U.S. to immigrants from Mexico. Reynoso was born in Mexico before moving to the U.S. as a kid.<\/p>\n

Reynoso said the pair has brought those experiences, along with the cultures they grew up in, to the community they\u2019ve built in Portland. <\/p>\n

The couple said they would spend Friday playing with their dogs and checking in with friends and relatives. <\/p>\n

\u201cThings feel so heavy, it feels so emotional,\u201d Reynoso said. \u201cI feel like the tagline of this time in history is \u2018This is not normal.\u2019 I\u2019m old enough to say this isn\u2019t normal. I was undocumented as a youth. I have various people in my family who have been deported in the past. The way things are done now \u2014 this is not normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sign hangs in the door of Mis Tacones restaurant in Portland, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n

After taking the day off for the strike, the pair planned to be back at the restaurant Saturday morning, cooking up brunch for customers. <\/p>\n

Reynoso and Ba\u00f1uelos acknowledge that when they first opened Mis Tacones as a full-time restaurant, they weren\u2019t able to close down for demonstrations. Ba\u00f1uelos said he knows a lot of business owners who have chosen to stay open. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese decisions aren\u2019t taken lightly,\u201d Ba\u00f1uelos said. \u201cSome folks have the privilege to be able to [close]. We can do this \u2014 it might hurt a little bit \u2014 but we can do this, and it\u2019s gonna be impactful. But the folks that can\u2019t, they also have other ways of protesting and standing in solidarity.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Betty<\/p>\n

Betty Ramirez works the line at Mis Tacones restaurant in Portland, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Staying open to support the strike<\/p>\n

Christine Azar thought about closing down her chocolate and coffee shop<\/a> in support of the general strike, but decided on another route: donating part of her proceeds to support small businesses in Minneapolis. <\/p>\n

\u201cI stand in solidarity with everyone that\u2019s doing it,\u201d she said of businesses closing for the strike. \u201cI support it \u2013 but I also want to make sure that I am sending my money where it\u2019s worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Christine<\/p>\n

Christine Azar poses in her chocolate and coffee shop, Azar Indulgences, on Jan. 29, 2026, in Portland, Ore. The Arab American business owner, who immigrated to the U.S. from Canada in 2001, supports the general strike but has opted to stay open and donate part of the store’s proceeds to small businesses in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

Kyra Buckley \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Azar Indulgences will send some of Friday\u2019s proceeds to Minnesota, along with a share of money taken in on Saturday and Sunday. If it goes well, Azar might continue the process through her busy month of February. <\/p>\n

Speaking on Friday during the protests, Azar said people had been dropping into her shop after learning of the plan to donate her proceeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been to the store today, so I\u2019m not entirely sure, I know it\u2019s not insanely busy,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve had a few people come in that know I\u2019m donating, and said they\u2019ve come in because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chocolatier was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in the 1980s during the country\u2019s civil war. Her family fled to Syria when she was 5, and again to Canada when she was 9. <\/p>\n

Azar moved to the U.S. in 2001. At first, she worked in banking. But after an inspiring visit with her grandma, she pivoted to chocolate, with her uncle in Lebanon as her supplier. Azar Indulgences opened in 2015, specializing in Lebanese chocolate made in the style of Belgian chocolate. <\/p>\n

Azar said she was upset watching protesters being shot and killed in Minnesota. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very scary time and it makes no sense,\u201d she said. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t make any sense at all because it\u2019s designed to just harm people, whether it\u2019s people that are in the immigrant community, [or] whether it\u2019s those business owners that are employing people that are immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Azar employs three other people at her shop inside downtown Portland\u2019s Heathman Hotel. While she supports the strike, she said if she closed down it would mean cutting hours for one of those employees. <\/p>\n

The general strike is an action against larger corporations in Azar\u2019s mind, because they can have more influence on federal immigration policy. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like small businesses like mine are invested in our community,\u201d she said while cleaning off an espresso machine. \u201cWe\u2019re the solution, not the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A poster on Northeast Killingsworth Street in Portland, Ore. calls for a Jan. 30 general strike on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n