Courtesy of Santino Ruis

Student holds up Mexico flag in protest of increased ICE operations.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Val Ortega

Metea Valley students start making their way to Waubonsie Valley High School

In an act of protest against recent local and national ICE activities, Metea students planned a walkout and left school during fifth period on Feb 10.

“Our whole goal of our protest was just to spread awareness to those who don’t really know what’s going on,” senior Val Ortega said. 

Students gathered by the athletic entrance after fourth period, united to show Metea’s support for the cause.

“It was really nice to see everyone united and involved in something impactful,” Ortega said.

Senior Lea Lopez felt like the walkout finally gave the Metea community a chance to make a change.

“I’m choosing to participate because as a Latina woman, I cannot stand to see my people out in the streets being themselves, dying,” Lopez said. “My culture is loud and colorful, so to see my people get forced to be muted is heartbreaking, and I don’t want to stand for it.”

Many students heard about the event from the Metea barstool Instagram account on Feb 9, who say the demonstration has been in the works for a while.

“I believe the community as a whole has been actively orchestrating [the walkout] for a while now, as this walkout trend has been going on,” the owner of @meteabarstool said in an Instagram DM.

This movement is one of many that have been happening in the country. According to CBS News, ICE arrests have tripled since the end of 2024, and nearly 40% of their arrests are people with no criminal records.

In response, over the past six months, thousands of students have walked out of their schools to show their protest against increased ICE operations in their communities, according to The Guardian.

Due to the politics around the situation, Ortega said that she did feel scared to protest because she did not know how others might respond.

“Politics-wise, it was really scary,” Ortega said. “I didn’t know what to expect from other reactions, especially from passing drivers.”

However, she affirmed that standing up against ICE was important to her.

“I was going to stand my ground,” Ortega said. “I was not going to stay silent.”

Metea is one of several schools in the area that held a walkout. On Monday, students from Waubonsie Valley walked out of school, also protesting recent ICE operations. According to NCTV17, 150 students walked along Eola Road toward Metea. This caused a “Secure the Building and Teach” at Metea during eighth period.

Principal Daniel DeBruyker sent an email to parents and students about the situation.

“It has come to our attention that WV students have walked out, and our understanding is they are heading north on Eola Road,” DeBruyker said. “Whereas we are safe, this does signify a potential disruption outside of the school building that requires all persons to remain inside of the school.”

Later that night, after Metea’s walkout was announced, DeBruycker sent parents and students another email warning of the potential consequences of leaving the building and property. He also stated that while Metea did not organize and does not approve of the walkout, they encourage students to share their voices in other ways.

“We want to affirm that we value student voice and recognize the importance of civic engagement,” DeBruyker said. “Metea Valley High School is committed to fostering a learning environment where students feel heard, respected, and supported.”

During the protest, DeBruycker continued to stress that his biggest concern was student safety.

“My biggest concern as I stand here right now is that [the students protesting] are somewhere else, and they’re our responsibility while they’re here to keep them safe,” DeBruycker said.

However, he still wants students to know that their voices and opinions are valued.

“I hope our students continue to understand that their voice does matter and it can be heard,” DeBruycker said. “As I stated in my message, there are other ways to go about it than to leave campus.”

Despite the known consequences, many students still chose to participate. Senior Tommy King said that it’s important for young people to stand up against ICE.

“I truly believe that the only way that we can make change in this world is by rising up and speaking out against issues and not shying away because of the consequences that we will get,” King said. “The youth of America will not stand for this fascism and this belligerent hate.”