A group of 15 Chiles High School students stood on the corner of Thomasville and Bannerman roads exercising their First Amendment right to protest despite the backlash they fear it will cause.
The catalyst for student protests in the district started at Lincoln High on Feb. 2. Nearly 100 students marched off campus during lunch time in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramping up after President Donald Trump launched his aggressive immigration enforcement program.
Protests have spread nationally in response to the shooting deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, where more than 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents had been deployed as part of Trump’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
In the days following the Lincoln High walkout, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas released guidelines to school districts discouraging on-campus protesting during school hours. The Leon County School District also sent its own advisory to high school students and parents.
“Leon County Schools will continue to enforce expectations that ensure schools remain focused on safety, order, and academic purpose. Interruptions to the daily school routine will not be accepted,” the email said.
The Chiles students waved signs and shouted chants denouncing ICE and Trump, some with expletives and others with simple messages like “Educated not indoctrinated.”
Passers-by honked, some of which were other students, and waved in solidarity. Some drivers intentionally emitted dense black diesel exhaust or chucked ice cubes at students.
Most of the student protesters declined to provide their names to a Tallahassee Democrat reporter, saying they feared retaliation. Mia Huff, a senior at Chiles, said a pro-ICE group has organized on the high school campus.
She said the group was planning to counter-protest at the same time but didn’t show. She added that a social media page touting support for ICE and Trump’s policies allegedly had been started.
“We’ve made it extremely clear that we plan to be peaceful and that we are against violence. But some of us are really worried about targeting,” Huff told a Tallahassee Democrat reporter.
Parents monitored the group of students at a distance to ensure safety.
“I think these kids here are courageous and kind and compassionate,” said Heather Houston-Meeks, a parent. “We’re glad they know that they have a voice and that what they think matters.”
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chiles High students protest ICE, Trump policies; fear retaliation
Reporting by Alaijah Brown, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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