Hundreds of North Side high school students ditched class at midday Monday, pouring into River Park for a student-led protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The rally, which stretched for more than two hours, drew teens from multiple neighborhood campuses who took turns on the mic, leading chants and delivering speeches demanding changes to immigration policy. A separate walkout was also held in the suburbs at Streamwood High School.
Just after noon, students from Amundsen, Mather, Roosevelt and Northside College Prep streamed out of their buildings and marched to the park, according to ABC7 Chicago. While the event remained firmly in student hands, it still managed to pull in elected officials, who climbed on stage to echo the calls for reform and to criticize federal immigration enforcement.
"Neighborhoods that are built on diversity are now filled with anxiety and uncertainty," Northside College Prep student Luis Delgado told the crowd. Mather High student Angelique Guzman warned that deportations "put lives at risk." Another student reminded the audience, "When you see something wrong, something unjust, we have the moral obligation to do something about it." ABC7 Chicago also reported that several students who are 18 said they plan to vote in the March 17 primary.
A national backdrop
The Chicago walkout unfolded in the middle of a broader wave of demonstrations sparked by fatal encounters between federal immigration agents and civilians in Minneapolis earlier this month, a flashpoint that has helped fuel student-led protests around the country. Reporting from The Associated Press has detailed those Minneapolis incidents, while CBS Chicago has documented related suburban walkouts.
What's next
Organizers framed the walkout as both a protest and a crash course in civic engagement, arguing that the streets and the ballot box are tools for the same fight. After more than two hours, students dispersed from River Park, but they signaled that the march was only a starting point and that they plan to keep organizing locally and stay involved in upcoming elections.
