Quick Take:
Hundreds of Watsonville High School students staged a walkout Tuesday afternoon in protest of immigration-related enforcement. The protest follows the arrest of a Watsonville resident and reported ICE activity in the area over the weekend.
Hundreds of Watsonville High School students staged a school walkout Tuesday afternoon to peacefully protest immigration-related enforcement in South County and stand in solidarity with immigrant communities nationwide.
Seniors Nayeli and Joshua said they organized the protest to give their peers an opportunity to use their voices and stand up for their political beliefs. (Lookout is choosing not to include the students’ last names because they are still minors.)
Nayeli told Lookout that she was impressed at the large turnout, especially since the protest was organized at the last minute. “I’m very proud of us as a community and as a school,” she said. “This is a great representation of how a small town can be so strong together when we stand together.”
A large group of Watsonville High School students stages a peaceful walkout Tuesday to raise awareness about the impact of ICE on communities across the country. 
Watsonville High School ICE protest 
Watsonville High School students demonstrate peacefully Tuesday afternoon during a walkout focused on immigration justice and ICE-related concerns. 
A Watsonville High School student shouts during a peaceful walkout calling attention to injustices linked to ICE actions nationwide. 
Students at Watsonville High School take part in a peaceful walkout Tuesday, standing together in response to ICE-related injustices impacting communities nationwide. 
Watsonville High School students gather during a peaceful walkout Tuesday afternoon to stand in solidarity with individuals and families impacted by ICE enforcement. 
Hundreds of Watsonville High School students walk out of class Tuesday afternoon in a peaceful demonstration addressing ICE-related injustices nationwide. 
Watsonville High School ICE protest 
Hundreds of Watsonville High School students take part in a peaceful walkout Tuesday afternoon to show solidarity with communities affected by ICE-related injustices across the country.
Students stood on the intersection of East Beach and Lincoln Streets, in front of the high school, holding signs with slogans like, “ICE belongs in my coffee, not the streets,” and “Fight ignorance, not immigrants.”
Maria, another student, said she participated in Tuesday’s walkout to stand in solidarity with friends and family whose lives have been turned upside down by the increase in immigration enforcement.
“We’re just trying to fight for our rights,” said a student named Alexander. “The things that have been happening with ICE — it’s very inhumane and unconstitutional.”
The walkout follows the arrest of at least one Watsonville resident by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over the weekend. Immigrant advocacy group, Your Allied Rapid Response, also reported that immigration officials were knocking on doors near the high school Sunday morning.
The organization told Lookout that its volunteers will continue to patrol Watsonville throughout the week and recommends residents to call its hotline at 831-239-4289 if they suspect ICE is in their neighborhoods.