Students at Highline High School walked out of school Monday morning, Feb. 2 for a rally and march near campus to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to information provided by a student participant.
The student said Highline High was among several schools in the area that took part, including Mount Rainier High School, Evergreen High School and Big Picture.
At Highline , students walked out at 9:45 a.m., then marched to First Ave South around 10:30 a.m.
Some of the signs seen at the lively demonstration included:
- “IMMIGRANTS BUILT AMERICA!”
- “NO ONE IS ILLEGAL ON STOLEN LAND”/”Nadie es ilegal en tierra robada”
- “GOD said LOVE thy NEIGHBOR NOT DEPORT THEM”
- ANNE FRANK wrote about this in her DIARY”
- “I PREFER MY ICE CRUSHED!”
- “YOU DON’T GET TO TALK ABOUT WHAT’S ILLEGAL WHEN YOU VOTED FOR A FELON”
Photos
Click arrows or swipe images to view slideshow of photos by Clover Laine Photography (NOTE: faces and license plates have been intentionally blurred for the safety and security of minors/students):
Love it. Gives me some hope for the future.
Kids should be taught to protest in a legal and peaceful manner, unfortunately that is not what happened today. When is the school make up day so students at this school can focus on improving their academic scores? The school test results for Highline High School as follow: Reading Proficiency: 53% of students scored at or above proficiency levels on the state reading/language arts assessment (vs. state average of 41.7%). Math Proficiency: 20% of students scored at or above proficiency levels on the state math assessment (vs. state average of 41.7%). Science Proficiency: 28.2% of students scored at or above proficiency levels on the state science assessment (vs. state average of 49.7%).
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Se debería enseñar a los niños a protestar de forma legal y pacífica, pero lamentablemente eso no fue lo que ocurrió hoy. ¿Cuándo se recuperarán las clases perdidas para que los estudiantes de esta escuela puedan concentrarse en mejorar sus calificaciones académicas? Los resultados de las pruebas de la escuela Highline High School son los siguientes: Competencia en lectura: el 53% de los estudiantes obtuvo una puntuación igual o superior a los niveles de competencia en la evaluación estatal de lectura y artes del lenguaje (frente al promedio estatal del 41,7%). Competencia en matemáticas: el 20% de los estudiantes obtuvo una puntuación igual o superior a los niveles de competencia en la evaluación estatal de matemáticas (frente al promedio estatal del 41,7%). Competencia en ciencias: el 28,2% de los estudiantes obtuvo una puntuación igual o superior a los niveles de competencia en la evaluación estatal de ciencias (frente al promedio estatal del 49,7%).
When the issue is so bad, we don’t feel safe in our schools anymore we’re afraid of being taken how can we focus on school when my fellow classmates are worried they or their parents will be taken? that’s not something any student should worry about.
A murderer that isn’t caught stays indefinite fear. A pedophile that abuses children stays in fear until hes caught. A thief that steals, stays in fear until hes caught. A terrorist that just committed some form of terrorism stays in fear until hes caught. A Russian spy that crossed into the United States illegally, stays in fear until he/she is caught or leaves… the above examples show why they are fearful due to their illegal actions.
If you haven’t done anything illegal and your family hasn’t either, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. The truth doesn’t need to be stretched apart.
If you’ve done something, knowingly illegal, then fear should come next.
That was a really nice way to say he’s a kid and his opinions and feelings don’t matter. They aren’t just stopping and arresting illegal immigrants. They’re harassing every student who looks non-white. So yes, there is 100% valid reasons for these children to feel scared. Not to mention the fact that gun deaths are the #1 cause of deaths for kids and schools are often the setting. You should stop acting like you know better and listen to the people in the building who are experiencing these feelings.
^ “They’re harassing every student who looks non-white.” This is extreme over exaggeration and 100% false.
And now you jump over to gun deaths which has nothing to do with this topic at all but your mentally grouping all this together inside your argument of disdain against the federal government??
Emotions and laws are two very different things. Laws don’t bend for emotions. All ages need to learn this at a young age – one could say it comes from parenting. You do the crime, you do the time. Be accountable for yourself and for your children.
You can be afraid to cross the road or you can be prepared. You do have that choice and freedom, and as parents its quite vital that you step in to be leaders for your children… instead of letting emotion fester inside them which is what *your* describing. ( I’ve never said a child can’t feel scared, what I’m saying is: you as a parent can help steer them away from negative emotions as you should have the wisdom to see it coming well before the emotional outburst(s) start)
Well done, kids.
Even they can see the destruction DHS is causing to our rule of law and civil rights, and recognize the immensity of this moment.
Protesting itself is education and provides a positive impact to communities. Can Erica please explain how this protest was not legal and peaceful?
Did the students have a permit from the city of Burien?
Did the students have permission to leave the school property during school hours?
indoctrination… SMH bad.
It is sad that you seem so indoctrinated that kids having basic morals is a conspiracy to you.
No, its sad for one to endorse their children to pursue their needs, wants, and/or beliefs in this exact way. How about civil dialogue or putting together a school presentation/talks or speaking with the local news or local officlas or creating an organization orrrrr the list goes on and on for possibilities to potentially help create change in a healthy, constructive way. Everyone can do that
-Dialogue. Its how people get through and come to resolutions.
Kids need to learn how to SOLVE their problems, not yell-scream-whine about their views on the side of road during school hours.. seemingly enough young infants also have that same behaviour when they dont get their way.. odd.
Probably isn’t the best way to get what you want nor should it be what we promote as human beings to solve a problem.
Do kids pay taxes ???? Do kids know the difference between legal and illegal. Do kids know that federal law supercedes state laws ????
Do kids know the constitution???
Do kids only know what THIER parents tell them is right ?? Do kids go to the same religion or church that their parents decide is correct ???
Are these kids all A students??? Cause if they are … No need for more school levies or funding the kids are turning out great 😃. Look at them protesting stuff they really have no reality dealing with …..taxes , paying taxes , small paychecks from paying taxes to support illegal immigrants.
Is crossing an open border not an important crime any more in Wa state . Null and void as a crime now days ???? Suddenly it’s not a violent crime so it’s small and important.
Ok kids it’s ok to break laws of USA, as long as it’s a small crime …. See
The kids almost always know what is right. They are more pure and less hardened by the world. Very proud of these students. This takes bravery and courage which most of the current administration if not all lack.
Um….. your basing world wisdom (gained from GROWING UP) on youth. Unfortunately that is not correct, definitely a sweet thought. Agree to strongly disagree times 100
I appreciate anyone’s right to protest. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this though.
Are these people wanting open borders? If not, then what is the limit here?
Right now the law is selectively enforced depending who is in power. Is that right or just? Why should people get to stay if they came illegally? Why should these same people get to stay if they have committed additional crimes?
Besides emotional arguments, I do not understand these protests when it comes to the rule of law. What is the point of laws is we decide not to enforce them? So we just pick and choose based on feeling?
Do people factor in rising costs like housing, healthcare, education, social services when allowing people who can’t support themselves into the country?
Make it make sense
I applaud the students for protesting.
Instead of wasting time energy and money on this useless protesting stay in school, go to work do your part to make pur economy and country better.
You don’t have to be an adult to know brutality and torture are wrong and to protest against it. The fact that they are harming children also gives children the right to protest. Here’s a good synopsis of what is being protested, and it is not a call for open borders.
“The question was “What is ICE doing that is so bad?” Glad you asked!
In the United States, being undocumented is primarily a civil immigration violation, not a violent crime. That matters, because civil violations are normally handled through courts, notices, hearings, and due process — not through militarized street operations.
Using masked federal agents, unmarked vehicles, and military-style tactics to round up people whose primary offense is a civil status violation is not normal law enforcement. It would be like deploying SWAT teams to find people with unpaid fines. The scale and posture simply do not match the offense.
Donald Trump campaigned on removing “the worst of the worst” — violent criminals. That claim is repeatedly used to justify these tactics. But available reporting and court records show that many people being detained have no criminal record at all, or are being arrested for non-violent civil violations.
In many cases, people are being detained outside courthouses after appearing for scheduled immigration hearings. These are not fugitives. They are people attempting to comply with the legal process. Others have been detained at workplaces, schools, or during routine daily activities.
There are also documented cases of U.S. citizens being detained or questioned by federal agents based on appearance, accent, or language, and released only after proving their citizenship. That is racial profiling, and it is unconstitutional.
Many detainees are being held in large-scale detention facilities without timely access to legal counsel, often far from their families. Members of Congress have reported being denied access to observe conditions in some facilities. Reports from attorneys and journalists describe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and delayed medical care.
To be clear: a “concentration camp” does not mean an extermination camp. It means mass detention of civilians without trial or due process. That definition applies here, and it should alarm every American regardless of political affiliation.
This is not how a democracy enforces civil law.
What makes the situation even more alarming is what happens when citizens protest or monitor these operations. Increasingly, members of the public who record federal agents or attempt to observe their actions are being threatened, detained, or forcibly dispersed.
There have been fatal shootings during federal operations that remain disputed, with conflicting accounts from witnesses and federal officials. In multiple cases, video evidence from bystanders has contradicted official statements. Rather than transparent, independent investigations involving state authorities, federal agencies have retained control of evidence and limited outside review.
In a functioning democracy, lethal force by federal agents triggers immediate independent investigation, administrative leave for involved officers, and public accountability. That is not what we are seeing.
So what is ICE doing that is “so bad”?
It is enforcing civil law through fear, spectacle, and intimidation rather than courts and due process.
It is detaining people first and sorting out legality later.
It is expanding executive power while narrowing public oversight.
It is treating constitutional limits as obstacles rather than obligations.
If this were truly about removing violent criminals, there is already a lawful model. We use it every day. Police investigate crimes. Suspects are arrested, charged, tried in open court, and sentenced by judges. That is how a democracy handles danger.
We do not send masked agents door to door.
We do not detain people based on appearance.
We do not punish entire communities to create fear.
Those of us protesting this are not “pro-crime” or “pro-criminal.” We are pro-rule of law. We are defending the idea that the government must follow the Constitution even when it claims urgency.
The United States has deported large numbers of people before — including under the Obama administration — without abandoning due process or unleashing violence on American streets. What is happening now is not about capacity. It is about power.
This is how authoritarian systems begin: not by abolishing the Constitution overnight, but by teaching the public to accept its suspension in the name of safety.
We are opposing that.
Hope this helps.”
Super proud of those students. Thank you for supporting each other, and your communities!
Thank you, Elsie for your very factual based explanation of what is happening. As A former employee of the Highline school district, I commend these students for their protest and knowledge of what they are protesting. Many of the families that send their students to school in this district have been followed and arrested and deported for being undocumented. Students don’t know if they go home if their families will be intact. There is a lawful way to remove violent criminals who are undocumented, but ICE does not do that. Why not arm ICE with guns and rubber bullets rather than live ammunition. It is everyone’s right to protest and for those who don’t work with these families and students and understand the fear that they are under please know the constitution and the rights of these individuals.
Doesn’t the Constitution make it clear that the rule of law is the basis of right and wrong? How do you condone the violation of it in regards to llegal immigration, while also in support of said Constitution?
What are you even talking about? The Constitution makes NO moral judgments about the rule of law. It does, however, EXPLICITLY state that all people are to be granted due process before being deprived of life, liberty, or property. ALL people. This includes people who are here illegally. The Supreme Court has upheld this.
It’s so fitting you use the term “illegal” yet don’t accept the reality of what it means, nothing like breaking the law as a start to wanting the protection of them. Don’t bother with the civil infraction speech as crossing a border without permission is “illegal” you know.
Please read this Tom fully so you can educate yourself on the government level of the law – not your own judgement or emotions. It isn’t boiled down to 3 sentences nor is it cut and dry
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt5-6-2-3/ALDE_00013726/
” The Supreme Court’s jurisprudence indicates that, although aliens present within the United States generally have due process protections, the extent of those constitutional protections may depend on certain factors, including whether the alien has been lawfully admitted or developed ties to the United States, and whether the alien has engaged in specified criminal activity. “
That is one opinion that essentially says, “The Supreme Court has ruled that all people regardless of status are owed due process, but in some extreme cases exceptions have been made.”
That is NOT the same as giving ICE the permission to just…kidnap anyone they want, which is exactly what is happening all over the country.
This is an article about scared kids speaking out. They are scared for good reason, and these kids aren’t the cause of ANY of America’s problems.
If you support any one of these children not making it home, or making it home to find their parents disappeared, you are heartless.
And yes, emotion plays a role here, because it’s part of the human condition. Emotion matters, and I pity you if you are so heartless and cold that you’ve forgotten how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel.
Real simple, have legal citizenship otherwise you’ll be deported. No fear if you follow the law.
Proud to have participated with my grandkids at the ICE Out protest in Normandy Park. It was totally peaceful and the camaraderie was palpable. The kids are all right.
Go through the *legal* channels to have US citizenship, there is absolutely no argument. People saying the law doesn’t apply to them Is laughable at best. SMH..
Under 8 U.S.C. § 1324, it is a criminal offense for any person who, “knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection” that person.
Courts generally interpret “harboring” to involve active concealment or actions that substantially facilitate an undocumented person’s ability to remain in the U.S. illegally or prevent authorities from detecting them.