ICE arrives in Lawrence, local high schools begin protesting
Ben Nash | @benjaminrnash
ICE federal agents were spotted around Lawrence on Feb. 10. Five arrests have been confirmed.
Under the Trump Administration, deportations, immigration arrests, and ice hirings have sharply increased. The administration’s efforts have included sending masked federal agents into cities across the nation.
“We’re going to protect law enforcement. We’re going to protect ICE. You know, they’re part of the whole law enforcement that is working,” said President Donald Trump.
In response to the increasing presence of ICE around the country, hundreds of students have begun protesting at local high schools. At Lawrence High School and Lawrence Free State, hundreds of students walked out to protest ice activity.
The protests are not limited to Lawrence, as students at Shawnee Mission North, Olathe East and other Kansas schools have participated in walkouts over the past few weeks.
Organizers say the demonstrations are meant to raise awareness about immigration enforcements and what they describe as fear in immigrant communities.
The movement spreads far beyond Kansas, with high school students in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle staging similar protests nationwide. As federal immigration enforcement expands, student activism continues as well.
