At 2 p.m. on Jan. 20, Amy Wiley, a sophomore at Tigard High School, led her classmates in a school-wide walkout organized to protest ICE presence in Washington County and nationwide.
“The protest itself is all about the new ICE funding and about the ICE officers that have been coming into Tigard and nationally, the spikes of racial profiling and cruelty that we’ve seen,” Wiley told Tigard Life prior to the protest.
Over 100 students exited the Tigard High School building that afternoon, making their way up to the sidewalk on Durham Road. The students waved signs, chanted slogans and played protest songs like Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.”
The walk-out was staffed by administrators and Tigard Police, with Tigard-Tualatin School District Superintendent Dr. Iton Udosenata telling Tigard Life the event was spearheaded by students and that school staff had braced for a big turnout.
“This has really been a grassroots effort by students,” Udonsenata said. “It’s hard to say if there’s ever gonna be a big turnout, but I think there’s a groundswell of energy from our students, and we knew in the last couple days we’d probably get more kids out here.”
Administrators like Udonsenata kept a cautionary eye on students as they overtook either side of Durham Road and waved handmade anti-ICE and anti-Trump signs at passing traffic.
Miguel Hernandez, a Junior at Tigard High School, held up a sign that read “NO ONE IS ILLEGAL ON STOLEN LAND” and explained that he was specifically protesting ICE’s increased presence in the area.
“My mom lives in Beaverton, and they were right in front of the house,” Hernandez said. “A lot of people are scared to come out, and us just being out here helps a lot.”
Another student, Rosa Flores, brought a sign reading, “You can’t spell cowardice without ICE,” and said ICE’s presence could threaten Tigard’s diversity.
“We need to keep this place diverse,” Flores said. “ICE is just getting rid of that.”
Free America Protests and student walkouts took place all across the country on Jan. 20 to commemorate President Trump’s 2024 inauguration and protest the “escalating fascist threat” of “Trump’s second regime.”
“On January 20 at 2 PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce. We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent. A free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate,” reads a blurb from the Free America website.
Both Tualatin and Tigard High Schools hosted Free America walkouts, with Tualatin High School Principal Michael Dellerba saying there were around “500 students” participating in the Tualatin High School demonstration.
Tualatin-Tigard School District Community Relations Manager Lisa Burton said the school had received word from the students, concerning the walkout, in advance and called the demonstration an exercise of the students’ right to free speech.
“We have a district-wide system for students to request having an organized walkout,” Burton said. “The administration will meet with them and talk with them about their goals for the walk and what their plan is, and that just helps with the staffing being aware that students are leading this and there’s respect for the students’ right to free speech.”
While the majority of the walkout crowd’s makeup was students, multiple members of the community, like Tigard resident Deborah Davis, were also participating in the demonstration.
“This is very encouraging because they’re paying attention, they know what’s going on, and they’ve been impacted,” Davis said about the students participating.
Another supporter was Tigard High School alumni Chloe Skinner, who said she was “very proud” of the walkout’s success.
“I went here eight years ago, and I remember when we walked out for the Parkland Shooting,” Skinner said. “So coming out here and participating and supporting the students really makes me proud.”
The student protest, which began at 2 p.m., lasted a couple of hours before disbanding. Wiley told Tigard Life during the walkout that she was “inspired” by the number of students who got involved.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Wiley said. “It’s really inspiring to see everybody out here…Seeing the students and the school react so positively is really encouraging.”
