SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of San Antonio students walked out of high school on Wednesday afternoon to protest the recent immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump.
Students from different San Antonio area high schools gathered at Yanaguana Garden in Hemisfair before proceeding to City Hall for a peaceful protest.
Frida Renovato, a sophomore at Brackenridge High School, organized the protest.
“(We’re protesting) ICE raids, specifically, but it goes into everything. We want this to be an open protest for people to speak on things that matter to them,” Renovato said.
Issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and abortion access were also in the mix.
Renovato said the large turnout of students made her happy.
“I’m so glad that there’s so many people. I wish more people from our school came, but I’m so glad that there are students in general,” Renovato said.
In a statement, SAISD said students are allowed to exercise their rights to peacefully protest.
“When they elect to protest, we encourage them to stay on campus, where we give them a safe space to do so during their lunch periods, or before or after school. We do not recommend nor encourage off-campus protest. While we encourage student voice, we also encourage safety – and our wish would be for them to remain safely on campus,“ SAISD said in a statement.
Harlandale Independent School District confirmed about 300 students from McCollum High School participated in a peaceful walkout in protest of immigration enforcement.
“While we respect our students' right to peacefully express themselves, we also encourage them to do so responsibly by remaining on campus, where we can ensure their safety,” a portion of the statement read.
The statement went on to say, “We encourage families to have open conversations with their children about the importance of staying engaged in their education while expressing their views responsibly.”
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