Amid chilling temperatures, students from multiple high schools in Michigan took a stand on Wednesday to express their opposition to the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within their communities. The walkouts, organized by students from Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, highlighted growing concerns about immigration enforcement practices.
The participating students marched from Kerrytown to a federal building nearby, echoing chants of “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” and wielding signs with messages such as “Immigrants built America.”
Mia Fletcher, a Community High School student, articulated her concerns: “Fundamentally, I think everyone has a right to feel safe where they live, whether or not they’re documented, whether or not they came here quote-unquote legally. We’re all human beings and we should all feel safe where we live, and the fact that that isn’t happening and the fact that people are being taken out of their homes is unacceptable to me.”
ICE has defended its actions, claiming the legal authority to conduct arrests without warrants if the individuals are believed to be in the country without authorization and are considered likely to evade capture.
Mary Corey
/
Michigan Public
Rosie Meisler, another student from Community High School, emphasized the importance of feeling safe and welcome at school. Meisler remarked, “Everyone should be welcome in a country that was built on immigration and that immigrants really make what it is. I hope people notice that if even the high schoolers are organizing and acting, then maybe it’s time for us to as well.”
During the walkout, Meisler encouraged peers to contact their representatives and engage in further protest activities. “Never be satisfied with an unkind or unfair world,” Meisler urged.
Students from Skyline, Pioneer, and Huron high schools in Ann Arbor, along with Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, also took part in the demonstrations.
Former Ann Arbor public school educator Jeff Gaynor, who taught for over three decades, expressed pride in the students’ activism. “We need everybody, young and old, coming together to protest the lack of civil rights, of human rights, the abuses that are happening now,” he stated.
Commenting on ICE’s actions, Gaynor added, “ICE is doing horrible things around the country, the attentions in Minnesota, but they’re in our communities here. They were picking up parents in Ypsilanti. They picked up workers here in Ann Arbor.”
He concluded, “This is our common humanity that we all have to fight for.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration asserts that its immigration procedures enhance national safety.
