Many Jackson-Reed students joined thousands of other Americans and high schoolers in protests last month, calling for a stop to violence committed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The protests were in response to the increase of ICE-related violence across the country in the past few months. Specifically, they were catalyzed by the killings of peaceful protestors Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and the ensuing protests and shutdown in Minneapolis.

The DC protest, organized alongside over 300 other actions across all 50 states, was accompanied by a call for a general strike, urging people nationwide not to make any purchases, or attend work or school.

The event started in Chinatown and was coordinated by the Party for Socialism and Liberation DC.

Following several speakers—from students to DC teachers—protesters marched to the Capitol, where the Senate was debating a bill including a provision to keep ICE funded through the next two weeks. Across town, Howard University students walked out of classes in protest of ICE, joining the march. 

This is not the only event planned in response to ICE attacks. Students from several DC high schools are planning a separate walkout later this month. The protest, which is scheduled for February 27, is being organized by a JR student, who asked to remain anonymous, alongside other DC students.

So far, seven schools have confirmed they will  participate, including Jackson-Reed, Georgetown Visitation, MacArthur, Washington Latin, Georgetown Day School, National Cathedral School, St John’s and School Without Walls. Students at Banneker have expressed interest as well, according to the JR student organizer.  

Yeselyn Iraheta, one of the protest leaders at School Without Walls, emphasized that “coming together in one place shows how powerful we are as a student body.”

Student groups all over the city have been galvanized to stand up against the increase in ICE activity in the District and around the country. 

JR senior Sage Deora, who attended the first march, on January 30, with friends, said she was struck by the breadth of the protest. She said that “people weren’t talking about one thing; it was centered around ICE but people were talking about Gaza and the DC police, and lots of other things.” 

Speakers at the rally included a leader of the Washington Teachers Union, a student organizer from the George Washington University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, and a local immigration attorney. 

Their speeches ranged from calls for the abolition of ICE to condemnations of the Democratic Party for failing to take a strong enough stance against the Trump administration. Speakers also discussed the connection between American imperialism abroad and recent ICE actions, calling for intersectional responses to current issues. 

Sophie Flaherty, another JR senior who attended the protest, said the rhetoric “was weirdly socialist. I don’t know how I feel about that. A bit much about socialism and not enough about ICE.” 

Several other Jackson-Reed students said they were motivated to join the protests, even if they wouldn’t typically be drawn to do so. 

Junior Maren Devereaux said this was her first protest, but that she was motivated by her outrage “with what we’re allowing to happen in our country today.” She said she “felt especially moved to participate after the general strike in Minneapolis.” On January 23 tens of thousands of workers in Minneapolis, according to protest organizers, called out of their jobs, refrained from making purchases, and headed to rallies to protest ICE presence in their city. Many businesses in Minneapolis closed in solidarity as well. 

Devereaux also said that the protest left her feeling “really hopeful,” seeing the action as proof of DC’s passion for making change. Deora added that “it was a wonderful experience” in all. 

Other Jackson-Reed students refrained from attending the protest out of concerns for their safety. One senior who requested not to be named said she thought it was “amazing that people all around the world have come together to stand with Minnesota,” but that her mother “was worried that with the increased surveillance going on it could be dangerous.”  She added that even though everyone in her family is a U.S. citizen, she has family members who are immigrants and she doesn’t trust the “uncertainties in the country.” 

Two Jackson-Reed social studies teachers, Eduardo Canedo and Michele Bollinger, joined the protest as well. Canedo echoed students’ descriptions, calling recent news about ICE “outrageous.” 

He said that as a DC resident he felt it was especially important to join the protest.  “As the nation’s capital, DC has special prominence and symbolic value,” he said, “so it’s important that people show out for it.” 

Bollinger mentioned the importance of protesting outside the Capitol specifically. “It’s our money,” she said. “They are an unaccountable agency that acts with impunity, and they’re using our money. There should not be any institution that’s fundamentally unaccountable in a democracy.” 

Both teachers added that they had discussed ICE or the protest with students in their classes because of concerns over recent events. “A lot of the young people who I’m around, including here at Jackson-Reed, are asking the right questions,” Bollinger said. “I’m proud of that.”•