In the United States there is a current crisis, specifically over immigration. Throughout President Trump’s second term, there has been a large increase in deportations of illegal immigrants. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there have been over 600,000 deportations made during the Trump Administration along with many illegal immigrants being placed into holding facilities like Alligator Alcatraz in Florida or the Speedway Slammer in Indiana. Many of these deportations were done without due process, and many immigrants have been torn from their families for the simple crime of searching for a better life.
Unsurprisingly, many people have begun to protest these unlawful arrests, especially in Minneapolis, where ICE has mobilized en masse searching for these so-called illegals. Due to a lack of training, or simple minded hate, there have been multiple shootings committed by ICE officers, which have claimed the lives of people like Renee Good.
We are living in uncertain and interesting times, for better or for worse, and many of us have little power over what happens. Although we are unable to affect much change, we can still yell as loud as we can to the forces that may be. This righteous cry was exactly what happened at LACES on February 6, 2026 in the form of a walk out. At 12:21 p.m., over 200 students gathered by the staff parking lot and began to march in protest of ICE. This protest was partially organized by Young Latino Scholars, but many students that were not a part of the group joined in.
As the students marched, they were met with both cheers and honks of solidarity from passers by. Many of the students had signs and the organizers had water and food for the student protesters. The protesters destination was the La Cienega Park and Community Center, where they would hold speeches about the current situation. Once they arrived, the speeches commenced, with many students from all grades getting up on a bench with a megaphone and delivering their cries of solidarity and righteous anger about the current situation.
Overall, the walkout went off without a hitch, and everyone who participated was safe and sound during the protest. While this protest made little difference in our current situation, it was a rallying cry that united the student body. The truth about protests is that they should not just be done once and never again, they must be organized often, and with as many people as possible. They are not just an excuse to skip school, they are done to slow down the system, to make large amounts of unwanted noise, to make those in power not only take pause, but to hurt their bottom line.