Several hundred high school students from Proviso Township District 209 walked out of their classrooms Wednesday morning in protest of the Trump administration’s continued mass deportation campaign.
Students walked to the sounds of Latin music and honking from passing cars as they made their way down Roosevelt Road to 25th Avenue, just a few blocks away from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview, which was the site of numerous protests in the months since the Trump administration began its immigration crackdown in Chicago dubbed ‘Operation Midway Blitz.’
Chicago has, for months, been the site of anti-ICE protests as the city weathered a monthslong immigration blitz that detained thousands and prompted resistance and solidarity by residents from walks of life — from documenting detentions and the actions of federal agents to delivering candy on Halloween to those who didn’t feel safe enough to go door-to-door amid the immigration crackdown.
But, lately, students have taken action, organizing walkouts from their classrooms in protest of ICE. Some are going up against the advice of school officials, the police and others in the name of making their communities more aware of what’s been happening, citing personal connections to the recent immigration detentions and a desire to make their voices heard.
This is not the first time local students have organized in opposition to federal immigration enforcement actions. In late October, as the immigration crackdown carried on, hundreds of students in Little Village walked out of class after several people were taken into custody in their neighborhood the week before.
But in recent weeks, student walkouts have been taking hold in a number of communities in and around Chicago after ICE involvement in Minneapolis has garnered national attention, especially following the recent deaths of two American citizens who were shot and killed by immigration officers.
On Feb. 2, hundreds of students on Chicago’s North Side walked out of their classrooms in protest in solidarity with Minnesota and against the immigration crackdown.
The next day, dozens from East Aurora High School marched out of their school in the western suburbs in protest of ICE. Subsequent walkouts occurred in the suburbs in the days following — in Elgin, Naperville, Waukegan, even Hammond, Ind.
Then, on Wednesday, students from Proviso’s three high schools also took to the street, marching for about two miles from their respective buildings.
The recent actions have generated mixed reactions of support and concern from local school districts and elected officials regarding student safety.
For example, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, ahead of Wednesday’s walkout, encouraged Proviso students to hold their protest on school grounds rather than at the Broadview ICE facility.
“Recent events have shown that ICE agents have become increasingly volatile and violent, even resorting to killing American citizens in broad daylight,” Thompson said in a news release. “I want our students to use their voices and exercise their free speech, but I want them to do so where they are safe—within the protective confines of their own school grounds.”
But when the Proviso students arrived at Broadview on Wednesday, they were met with whistles and applause from crossing guards and neighbors.
Gathered on the sidewalk, students proudly waved Mexican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan flags and chanted, while some sat on their classmates’ shoulders to make their signs more visible to passersby. Others line danced to “Payaso de rodeo,” as students held up signs reading “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “End ICE terror now.”
But questions of student safety have arisen in other communities as the walkouts persist. In Aurora, for example, a student walkout just two days earlier has been drawing criticism after three students were charged in connection with the protest.
According to police, students from several Aurora-area schools entered traffic lanes and blocked vehicles, and threw water bottles and police vehicles during their walkout on Monday. The Aurora Police Department alleges that two students were contributing to the “unsafe conditions,” and attempted to detain them, but a third student reportedly intervened and punched an officer in the head. The department confirmed that the students were from East Aurora High School but did not disclose their identities.
The incident prompted a protest outside the Aurora Police Department’s headquarters on Tuesday night and has drawn criticism on social media and from local elected officials, including State Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, who is calling for an investigation into the department’s handling of the students.
Also in response to the walkout earlier this week, Aurora Mayor John Laesch, at a City Council meeting on Tuesday, said he admired the student’s efforts to make their voices heard, but urged them to take an “alternative and equally-effective course of action” by getting involved in local rapid response groups or forming their own groups to “strengthen the community response” to federal immigration enforcement agents.
Laesch confirmed that the city of Aurora is investigating the police’s use of force against several protestors, but will not be releasing video footage, as state law generally prevents police from releasing records around juvenile offenders.
East Aurora’s Superintendent Bob Halverson declined to provide further comment on Wednesday. The district has said previously that it doesn’t condone walkouts during the school day, but is providing a location within the high school for students to voice their concerns .
Despite some safety concerns, the students don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
On Friday, there are plans for a coordinated national student walkout, according to recent social media posts. In Chicago, for example, organizers have encouraged students to walk out and convene at Federal Plaza on Friday afternoon as part of the national action.
The Beacon-News’ R. Christian Smith contributed.
