ICE, also known as Immigration Custom Enforcement, has become a pervasive topic of interest on the news, social media, and everyday conversation.
In 2025-2026 alone, there were over 45 deaths due to ICE agents. On January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, who was a victim of ICE, was brutally shot during a protest in Minneapolis. A report from NPR news states that Alex Pretti was “recording ICE agents from his phone” which caused the agents to strike, pepper spray, and later on kill Alex Pretti.
While 45 may not seem like a lot, it’s seen as a lot for innocent human lives. Most notoriously, a recent case involved Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026, after exercising her first amendment right to a peaceful protest and freedom of speech. ICE officer Jonathan Ross proceeded to release fire from his gun, injuring, and later killing an unarmed Reene Nicole Good. This information and the videos spread like wildfire, whether it was through the news or social media, and society couldn’t take it anymore. Whilst there are other cases like this before Good, this was the last straw for many. High school students everywhere, worried for their safety, began to protest what they felt was an injustice.
This sparked outrage among many, as ICE has been accused of stereotyping ethnicities, primarily Hispanics, with the approach that “they must be illegal.” Those victimized, as well as those defending them, suggest that it is not fair and is promoting racism. One of those groups taking this message to heart has been high school students.
For the upcoming generation, many young people feel that they must fight against this perceived injustice, whether they are targets or not, fight for their friends and fellow students, and for those who cannot speak.
On February 13, students from New Rochelle High School decided to hold a peaceful walkout protest against ICE during the last period of the school day, creating homemade signs to promote their message. To protect these students’ safety, they contacted the local New Rochelle police to be wary of students during this protest, keeping them safe from any harm. And thankfully, nobody was harmed in this process.
Students gathered and then proceeded to rally and speak out against the brutalities ICE agents have been causing. According to them, these students gave a voice to those who cannot speak out about this topic, whether it’s for safety and/or personal reasons. They marched from city hall back to the New Rochelle high school with their signs which stated their anger towards the situation, including Spanish-language signs (“gritamos por los que no pueden”) that translated to “We shout for those who cannot!”
As students, it is considered important to protect the right to education. And as the next upcoming generation to enter society with jobs and economic necessities, it is seen as important in protecting the right to live safely and the right to speak out.
As students, speaking out on social media via making posts helps bring attention to this topic of unfairness. Protesting at local parks and public areas can help, too. While many have gathered with friends, bringing signs and recording videos of themselves speaking out and chanting against the prejudiced ways of ICE, others have resorted to small things like pins, patches, or stickers on jackets and cases to show support for the people being targeted.
It is important to recognize the significance of these protests, and understand why they have such a big impact on society. School-wide walkouts organized by high schoolers (the future generation) can have their voices heard by many, and will show their ideologies so that they remember these deaths and fight for them.
