Hundreds of Santa Barbara High School Students Stage Walkout to Protest ICE Presence in Neighborhoods

Student Protesters Call on School District to Provide More Resources to District’s Families in Wake of Recent Arrests

Santa Barbara High School students organized a walkout on Tuesday to protest ICE raids in local neighborhoods. Credit: Jacqueline Inda

With ICE raids rattling Santa Barbara County neighborhoods this year, even students are feeling afraid. But, as it’s been said a million times over, there is no bravery without fear.

And these kids are brave.

On Tuesday, March 18, hundreds of Santa Barbara High School (SBHS) students displayed that courage by staging a walkout to protest the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Santa Barbara neighborhoods.

They waved Mexican, Ecuadorian, and American flags, alongside signs that said “Fight Ignorance, NOT Immigrants,” and “Hate Never Made America Great.”

Students shared emotional speeches in De La Guerra Plaza outside of City Hall. Credit: Jacqueline Inda

Erick Gonzalez, one of the protest’s student organizers, said they were inspired by their peers in a club called MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, or Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán, in English) at San Marcos High School, who staged a similar protest earlier this month.

Following the San Marcos protest, Gonzalez and his classmates decided to create a MEChA club at Santa Barbara High.

“We wanted to stand up and give underrepresented students a voice amid the ongoing ICE raids, but also represent our neighbors and community as a whole, to give a voice to the voiceless,” said Gonzalez, who is also the school board’s student boardmember.

They organized Tuesday’s protest, which brought together more than 300 students to march to the Santa Barbara Unified School District Office and City Hall, pausing at both locations to share emotional speeches.

“Living in fear, being targeted, living in fear of even going outside to go to PetSmart to buy food for your cat … it’s just very terrifying,” said one impassioned student outside of City Hall. “To know even the coworkers of your parents got deported while they were working, while your mom was also working there? Hello? That’s scary!”

Immigration advocates say that, while reports of ICE sightings have slowed down in February, arrests continue to be reported each week, the Independent’s Ryan P. Cruz reported last month.

These organizations estimate anywhere from eight to 15 verified immigration-related arrests per week in Santa Barbara County, though official numbers from the federal government have been harder to come by.

Tuesday’s student protesters called on the school district to make it a policy to hand out red cards — cards with tips on what to do when confronted by immigration enforcement — and other resources to the district’s families in the wake of these arrests.

“They shared their stories of fear, of families being separated, and what it means to them to not go out because of those fears and not go to school because of fear,” said Jacqueline Inda, a community advocate with Casa de la Raza, who helped the students organize.

“It means a lot to organizations like ours, because Casa de la Raza was founded on activism to build a better community for our young kids,” she continued. “So it’s heartbreaking to hear those stories, but it’s a reality that our kids are facing, and we are proud of them for speaking out.”

In a somewhat rare show of solidarity from school administration, SBHS Principal Fred Razo accompanied the students and even shared some words. He expressed gratitude for the community’s help in the protest, such as the police department blocking off traffic.

Student protestors marched first to the Santa Barbara Unified School District office and called on the district to provide resources to families on immigration enforcement. Credit: Jacqueline Inda

“Your voices were heard,” Razo said. “We are incredibly proud of all of you. The message was sent the right way — with all of you getting together. … There were hundreds more of you than I expected. Beautifully done on a beautiful day.”

In December, the school district adopted a resolution promising to support undocumented students and families, and “keep immigration authorities off our campuses to the fullest extent provided by law.”

“While the Santa Barbara Unified School District does not condone students leaving school unexcused, we support our students’ ability to exercise their First Amendment rights in a safe and respectful manner,” said Superintendent Hilda Maldonado in a statement.

“Last fall, the Santa Barbara Unified School District passed a resolution affirming its commitment to protecting the humanity of all students. We will continue to carry out our professional responsibility to ensure the safety and care of all children entrusted to us by our families and community.”