Hundreds of Roosevelt High School students left campus Friday and marched to Fresno City Hall, marking a week of anti-ICE protests in Fresno Unified.

An outpouring of students, armed with pickets and posters, left class at 12:30, using the sidewalk to march about 2.5 miles downtown. Fresno Unified offered bus transportation back to school for students who participated, a district spokesperson said.

The student-led protest was organized by three juniors, Natalie Ramirez, Sofia Suarez, and Selina Carreon, who hoped to gather a large crowd of students and bring more attention to immigration activity.

“I think once somebody puts their foot forward, everybody’s going to want to come along,” said Ramirez. “We’re using our freedom of speech to say what we want to say.”

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‘We Stopped Our Lessons to Teach You One’

And Rooesvelt students showed up, spanning a few blocks. The group held signs reading “ICE Kills” and “We stopped our lessons to teach you one” and were greeted with supportive honks from passing cars.

“I come from a family of immigrants, and there’s lots of families getting separated from each other for no reason and lots of children losing their parents,” said Alicia Viaueva, a freshman at Roosevelt. “And I just feel like everyone’s human. Everybody should be treated equally.”

Multiple students told GV Wire they feel it’s crucial to use their voices because they don’t face the backlash adults do. Additionally, some, including Adeline, a freshman who declined to provide a last name, felt they were speaking for their parents or family members who could not.

Senate Bill 955, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2022, allows middle and high school students a day-long excused absence for participation in a civic or political event. Some students have cited this bill, but very few in comparison to the number of students who have walked out, a district spokesperson said.

The walk-outs have had no effect on district funding, the spokesperson said.

Roosevelt Students Cite History and Build Community

The group, comprised of a diverse array of students, left school with one mission: Protest the current administration’s deployment of ICE and support each other.

“It’s good to have support from facility and students because it shows that everyone is here and working together in this community to keep us safe,” said India, a sophomore who declined to give a last name. “And we all have one thing that we can agree on, finally… it shows our community can come together.”

She told GV Wire that students from all different racial and ethnic background were coming together to protest of ICE’s aggressive enforcement tactics.

“It makes me feel really good that I’m not alone,” Viaueva said.

A few teachers joined in, displaying protest signs.

“I’m glad they’re standing up and exercising their rights,” said one teacher who identified herself as Miss K. “Especially the volume of kinds. I finally see everybody coming together. There’s no clicks. It’s just all love.”

Students cited the 1960s civil rights movement and a history of protest in the United States. It is important to use their voices for the next generation, Suarez said.

“I think if we don’t make the change, everything’s going to stay the same,” Ramirez said. “If we’re not the ones being outspoken, nobody’s gonna speak.”