Brightly covered posters and cries of protest filled the periphery of the school on Friday, Feb. 13, as students surged into the band pad for the second Anti-ICE protest of the school year. A district-wide protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the planners coordinated with schools across the region to plan a coordinated walk-out during seventh block. 

The students began the protest by meeting outside on the band pad and waiting for students to come. Around 50 attendees attended the protest, a significantly lower number compared to the protest two weeks prior. 

“No one seemed to know what was happening or where exactly we were going, so we tried to figure out what people from other schools were doing,” Aiden Watson ‘27 said. “Everyone ended up being frustrated because people were trying to protest, but because of the lack of particularly good planning, it ended up falling through. We still did protest, but it just didn’t [go] the same as if it was better planned.”

After protesting outside of the school, the group changed locations, driving to Lakeline Mall to continue the protest from a new location. 

“We piled into a car, and then we drove to Lakeline and protested in the parking lot and in that shopping area,” Watson said. “Then we headed back to school before the eighth block, when the protest had already ended.”

These protests allow students to unify together against ICE, emphasizing the importance and impact of student voice. 

“I definitely think we made a big difference and made people notice, especially with all the signs that we had,” Caitlyn Dorgelo ‘27 said. “Everyone that was driving by and saw us definitely noticed, and they were like ‘Oh, I wonder what they’re fighting for.’”

As the school’s second student-staged walkout, the continuation of anti-ICE protests represents a movement powered by the younger generation that not only unifies the students at Westwood, but students across districts, regions, and the nation as they all fight for a common cause. 

“These protests are important because not only is it showing support for a cause that we believe in, but it’s a public thing,” Watson said. “It’s also like making an impact on the people not in the protests, as they can see that we care. It does also foster a sense of community among people like this school and just in general [through] having the same ideals and watching the same things for humanity.”