Hundreds of Cleveland students walked out of class Thursday to protest recent federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, including the killing of Renee Good in Minnesota.
More than 300 students gathered in the courtyard between the Cleveland School of the Arts and John Hay High School in Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood, chanting "ICE out" repeatedly.
Rhionann Ford, a junior at the Cleveland School of the Arts who helped organize the protest with activists at the Cleveland Liberation Center, said the rally was in solidarity with protesters and people arrested by ICE across the country.
"It's important for us to say what we believe and use our First Amendment right, and to really show respect to the people in Minneapolis and Chicago who have been hurt by this, and to make sure that they don't come into our city," Ford said.
Jashmina Bista, an 11th grader at the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, said news of recent ICE arrests have made her scared for her family's safety, despite them being U.S. citizens. Her family members are refugees from Bhutan, and she was born in Nepal.
"They don't care. They shot and killed a white lady in Minneapolis. They don't care if you're citizens, they're just gonna racially discriminate (against) you if you are Black or brown-skinned," she said of ICE actions, referencing Good's killing.
Students walked out of class across the country this week despite cold weather across much of the Midwest. Students at Case Western Reserve University walked out and joined a larger protest Tuesday in Cleveland.
Janice Edwards, director of media relations for CMSD, said in a statement shared ahead of Thursday's demonstration that the district supports the students' right to protest.
Cherish Gonzalez, an 11th grader at the Cleveland School of the Arts, said news of ICE arresting parents and children encouraged her to leave class. This was her first protest.
"I feel bad for these kids and their parents being taken away right in front of them as their babies and kids are screaming," she said. "They do not care. It's so wrong."
Gonzalez, who is Puerto Rican, said she believes people's rights are being violated by ICE officers.
"People of color are joining ICE," she added. "There are Hispanics that are in ICE, which is totally crazy to me because, how are you deporting people knowing that you're Hispanic too? Do you not feel bad?"
Federal officials have said ICE officers are "enforcing the law without apology," alleging Democrats in Minnesota have attempted to obstruct efforts to "remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities."
Additional protests are planned for Friday across the region and the country.
