On Feb. 23, Newton High School and Chisholm students walked out in protest and marched along Main Street to speak out against ICE. I’m a 16-year-old sophomore who protested. Community members’ social media reactions seemed irritated, confused, and generally misinformed about the event.
School staff neither organized nor encouraged the walkouts. The email distributed to district families days before the protest–warning that all participants would receive an unexcused absence for any missed classes–demonstrates this. Don’t slander district staff; they had nothing to do with the student-led protests. It is insulting to see our ideas and opinions credited to adults.
We decided to walkout on a school day to make a point. This is not about skipping school; teenagers wouldn’t walk outside in 25-degree weather just to play hooky. We knew and accepted the consequences of walking out on a school day–putting us one step closer to truancy. This speaks louder than coming together on a random Saturday, and the feigned outrage proves our point. Most protesters went back and finished the school day, which disproves the idea that students were walking out to skip class. We haven’t heard a word of criticism about school absences until our First Amendment megaphone isn’t speaking your words. Had you been there, you’d have known that students supporting ICE also walked out and drove around with an American flag, taunting the anti-ICE protestors. Are these pro-ICE students also “uneducated, idiotic children” for leaving school, or does the content of their opinions justify their actions?
Constitutional rights are not limited to those with voting eligibility or those who agree with you. Instead of dismissing teenagers, claiming “they don’t know what they’re protesting” or “they’re too young to understand,” listen to us when we say we are tired of seeing American citizens being slaughtered and detained, immigrants not receiving the due process promised to all by our Constitution, and adults giving away our freedoms before we get a chance to be legally independent. ICE was formed to protect America from dangerous, illegal criminals; however, according to congress.gov, the number of people with zero criminal history arrested by ICE and detained by the Trump administration has now surpassed those charged with crimes. My generation is the future of this country. We can vote in the next presidential election. We have a voice. We are educated. We are angry. We will see you in the 2028 election.
