Elissa Mezieche (287)

To some Central High School students, recent ICE enforcement actions have raised concerns about how its policies affect both families and communities. ICE  argues that its operations in Philadelphia are about upholding national security and enforcing immigration policy. Because of this, some students across Philadelphia have expressed their views and opinions on immigration.  As of the 2024 election, there has been a surge in ICE deportations. ICE is meant to enforce national security by reducing transnational crime;  however, some students argue that ICE becomes harder to understand by the day.  Recently, critics have argued that ICE has led to family separations, debated detention sentences, and others have voiced their concern about potential racial profiling. With this, Philadelphia students have taken the initiative to use their freedom of speech in order to protest these raids that take the lives and dignity of good people.

Some students call out ICE for their excessive force during operations. Renee Nicole Good, a thirty-seven-year-old US citizen, was shot and found dead in her car after an encounter with ICE. Some students have voiced that ICE has caused concern and fear. Many students wanted to walk out, but were hesitant because they argued that ICE has a reputation of being violent and overly aggressive. Meanwhile, others were afraid their families would get penalized for their actions, regardless of whether they had legal citizenship in the US.

Established in 2003, ICE has long been a force in the United States. However, students argue that the recent spike in ICE immigration enforcement has made travel, even from home to school, stressful and worrisome. Some students have mentioned that ICE causes a rational fear in primarily immigrant communities. Many Central students said that their reasons for participating in the walkouts in February were to voice their concerns regarding the current policies on immigration. According to the students, their reasons for engaging in the protests were based on their knowledge regarding the activities of ICE, which they got from the news and social media.