On Friday, Jan. 30, hundreds of students across Portland attended a walkout at McDaniel High School and Glenhaven Park, protesting rising violence committed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The students first gathered early in the afternoon, and the crowds grew quickly as they were joined by parents and other adults in the community.

ICE has been targeting schools and neighborhoods with high Hispanic populations, and over a quarter of McDaniel students identify as Hispanic. Many protesters say they are increasingly concerned for the safety of their peers.

The protest’s primary organizer was Viola DeVigal, a sophomore at McDaniel. DeVigal has a history of activism, having previously organized two McDaniel walkouts.

DeVigal says she began planning the walkout just three days before the general strike because she wasn’t able to find any similar protests online. Organizing such a large event on short notice was difficult for DeVigal, but she relied on her community for support.

Assisting DeVigal was Take Action McDaniel Club, an advocacy club at McDaniel. Daisy Le’Engle, who runs the club, says Take Action McDaniel aided the protest efforts by funding poster boards and free snacks for participants. Le’Engle believes that her school could be a “potential target,” making the work that the club is doing essential.

DeVigal says one of the biggest accomplishments of the protest was how it united Portland Public Schools (PPS) students for a common cause. “All of us do want the same thing, which is our communities to be happy and safe,” she says.

Students came to the protest holding signs and chanting, “ICE out, now,” and “No ICE. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.” Although students had different reasons for showing up to the protest, many emphasized the importance of standing united and using their voices. Grant High School sophomore Brynn Tol says that “just because we can’t vote doesn’t mean we can’t use our voice.” Grant junior Charlotte Williams says “It’s really giving us an opportunity to let people know that we care, we’re important and we’re here to support everyone.”​

Kai Renae, a 22-year-old protester, reflected on the high proportion of young people at January’s walkout. “It’s really cool to know that kids just want change too,” they say.

DeVigal urges students to continue to take action for their community and use their voices. “I encourage each and every one of (the) students across PPS to really look for things that you can do to support one another.”