Over 100 JHS students walked out of class just after 1 p.m. Monday in protest of the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
School officials attempted to prevent protesters from leaving school, but were unsuccessful. Students walked off campus to RM 967 before walking or driving east towards the intersection of FM 1626 and RM 967. At the intersection, students held signs and chanted as cars drove past.
Students expressed anger and frustration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“It is obviously not right that families like mine and ones that are immigrants [to] this country seeking a better life should fear walking outside on the streets and even the security of their own homes with the way the administration’s been moving,” senior Jacob Garcia said.
ICE’s operations have been the target of mounting criticism after such incidents as the detention of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and the shootings of Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti by DHS officers in Minneapolis.
“I’m someone who’s in the medical course path right now, and seeing someone who is in the career that I want to be in get shot because of what they believe in…That is not okay,” senior Karen Andrade said. “When was it ever okay to tell people what they should believe?”
The JHS student-led demonstration was peaceful except for a physical altercation involving a student and an adult not affiliated with Hays CISD. Buda Police arrested Chad Michael Watts, 45, who they believe to be the primary aggressor in the altercation. Watts has been charged with assault causing bodily injury. Videos of the altercation have gone viral on social media platforms.
JHS students were not the only ones to organize protests Monday. Students from Lehman High School, Hays High School, and Live Oak Academy also left class to protest ICE and the second Trump administration. At least 500 students participated across the district.
“I walked out today because the current state of the world is unacceptable. It’s heartbreaking to witness countless lives lost and individuals forcibly separated by ICE,” Hays High School senior Bella Enriquez said. “The tearing apart of families and the displacement from their homes are injustices no one should tolerate. I am protesting to demand the abolition of ICE, a cause that resonates deeply with me, especially given my close friends who are immigrants.”
Many protesters from Hays High School made their way to downtown Kyle to join with community members in denouncing ICE.
“The protest was peaceful, filled with the sounds of music, chanting, yells, and even dancing,” Enriquez said. “It was genuinely inspiring to witness the sheer number of people who came out to stand together.”
A statement posted on the Hays CISD website Monday says that students who participated in the protests will receive unexcused absences and “other potential, applicable disciplinary action.” In an email to parents and students Tuesday, Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright warned students not to participate in additional walkouts and that students would face escalating consequences for skipping class again.
“We, as a community, can control our actions – what we do next regarding these student walkouts. I am not discounting the genuine emotion, anger, fear, frustration, anxiety, and division that exists. It pains my heart to see our community so torn,” Wright wrote. “But, I do know this – people look to Hays CISD as an example. We pride ourselves on navigating treacherous waters with grace and humility – and smart responses to challenges.”
