Hundreds of Utah students walk out of class to protest ICE actions

SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of high school students across the Salt Lake Valley walked out of class on Tuesday, raising their voices in protest against the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Students said that despite being teenagers, they are well aware of what is happening across the country and felt compelled to act.

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Students from three high schools — Kearns, Bingham, and West Jordan — gathered outside their campuses, carrying signs and chanting “abolish ICE.” Many said they could no longer sit by without speaking up. At Kearns High School, students filled the streets, chanting and marching as cars honked in support. Similar scenes unfolded at Bingham High and West Jordan High, where students recorded the demonstrations on their phones. Students said their walkouts were fueled by concern over ICE actions and what they described as growing incidents of brutality. “The police brutality is not okay,” said Mele Aiono, a junior at Bingham High.“The more comfortable you get with violent things happening, the more it's going to happen,” added Bingham High senior Jackson Sommer. Crow Coletti, said, “The youth can make a difference. Being divided is not what we stand for.” Others said they were inspired by seeing so many students taking action. “It was really powerful, honestly, seeing that kids our age cared enough to leave school and speak up against it,” said senior Samara Perry. Another senior from Bingham, Yashvi Vhagat, said, “The brutality is just insane from ICE. And I don’t think anyone should ignore that.” “ICE doesn’t rule over us, the government doesn’t rule over us,” added senior McKenna Craghead during the protest. Bingham students held their rally at 9 a.m., while Kearns and West Jordan students walked out at 1 p.m. So far, there are no reports of disciplinary action taken against students who participated.

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