Thousands of students across the Valley left their classrooms Friday to take part in a coordinated nationwide protest against federal immigration enforcement, joining peers from around the country in demanding major changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
At schools including Greenway, Moon Valley, and Desert Mountain High, students gathered along streets and sidewalks, waving flags and holding homemade signs urging lawmakers to “get ICE out of Arizona.” Many participants described the walkout as an effort to show solidarity with immigrant families and to bring attention to what they see as unfair and violent enforcement tactics.
The protests followed a pair of fatal ICE operations earlier this month in Minneapolis that left two civilians, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, dead. Those incidents sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for oversight and reform within the Department of Homeland Security.
The Phoenix demonstrations came just days after Homeland Security Investigations conducted raids at several Valley restaurants, including multiple Zipps Sports Grill locations, resulting in the arrest of several undocumented workers. Students said those raids heightened fears within immigrant communities and inspired many to take action.
Organizers of the student demonstrations framed the walkouts as part of a broader push for humane immigration policies and government accountability. Many participants said they hoped the nationwide action would compel elected officials to address the recent violence and rethink the federal approach to immigration enforcement.
Friday’s walkouts, which stretched from the West Valley to Scottsdale, underscored a growing sense of political awareness among young people in Arizona — and a willingness to take to the streets to demand change.
