Though some Lawrence High School students came prepared with pre-made posters Tuesday afternoon to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, others turned to classroom supplies: turning notebooks into signs and taping paper messages to their T-shirts.
Students were joined by other community members who braved the cold and trudged through the still-snowy sidewalks as they marched around the high school, chanting, “Immigration built this nation” and “From the Twin Cities to LFK, tell ICE to go away.”
“We’re here because they’re killing people and it’s not right,” Nancy Sanchez, an LHS sophomore, said. “No one obviously deserves to be separated from their family.”
Free State High School held a similar protest, also drawing hundreds of participants.
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The walkouts were organized in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration during the last year. Trump has sharply increased deportations, immigration arrests and ICE hirings. His administration’s efforts have included sending masked agents into cities far from the southern border, including Kansas City, and arresting people off the street. ICE activity has increased nationwide, including in Kansas, during the last year.
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On Saturday, federal agents in Minneapolis fatally shot a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and registered nurse named Alex Pretti. In early January, an ICE agent killed Renee Good, an unarmed U.S. citizen. Members of the Kansas congressional delegation from both political parties expressed alarm after the killings.
Students said videos of the killings, which spread rapidly online, motivated them to join the protest.
“It feels nice to know that me and a lot of my peers share a really good opinion that they’re hurting people and that immigration shouldn’t be like this,” said Hudson Van Nuys, an LHS freshman.
Lawrence High has a history of protests, dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, when students led multiple sit-ins for civil rights and protests against the Vietnam War. LHS and Free State have more recently held walkouts supporting transgender rights and abortion rights.
“We were founded by immigrants, right?” Serenity Winter, an LHS freshman, said. “We took them all in. We were founded by them, and then we want to kick everybody out because of a dictator.”
High school students were joined by middle schoolers, teachers, college students and community members of all ages Tuesday.
Riley Schierling and Darsie Harleman are students at the Lawrence College and Career Center, but made the trip to LHS for the protest.
“We support what’s right, you know,” Harleman said. “We know our beliefs and we’re just gonna stand on it.”
Students said it was good to see other community members supporting the student protest.
“It feels good to know that we’re not alone in this, and that we have a lot of people supporting us, especially our community,” Genesis Gutierrez, an LHS sophomore, said.
Community members have held consistent protests across Lawrence since the second Trump administration began last year.
Shawn Bitters, a parent of an LHS student, said the student protest gave him hope for democracy.
“Things feel so dark right now,” he said. “It’s really easy if you’re isolated to feel like things are just going down the drain. So coming out here, seeing that our, like, the younger generations, are really passionate and really care, and they’re fighting for their own future, just, you know, makes me feel like there’s some hope.”
More from Free State’s walkout
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
Molly Adams (she/her), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2022. She can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com.
Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Nathan Kramer (he/him), a multimedia student journalist for The Lawrence Times since August 2024, is a senior at Free State High School. He is also a news photo editor for Free State’s student publication, where he works as a videographer, photographer and motion designer. See more of his work for the Times here.
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