Thread: Minneapolis students stage walkout to protest immigration policies

A couple hundred students from Washburn, Southwest and other high schools took part in the march.

By Rochelle Olson Star Tribune JANUARY 20, 2016 — 5:06PM


Students from Southwest, South, and Washburn marched along Nicollet Avenue towards Lake Street to protest the most recent deportations and raids, Wednesday, January 20, 2016 in Minneapolis, MN. (ELIZABETH FLORES/STAR TRIBUNE)

A couple hundred students walked out of schools and across south Minneapolis Wednesday, stopping at Martin Luther King Jr. Park to protest U.S. immigration policies.

“I hope this is just the first step,” a female Southwest High School student said to the gathered crowd on the snow-covered grass at the park on Nicollet Av. South between 40th and 41st streets.

Like others who held the bullhorn, she spoke of fear that her parents would be deported and her desire for solidarity and compassion across races.

The group lasted about an hour at the park, before a large faction headed north to Lake Street behind a banner that read in Spanish and English: “Stop the deportations” and “not my family.” Some students were under-dressed for the gray 20-degree day, but they stood firm, huddling with friends.

The protest resembled a friendly after school gathering of friends. Student-organizers had set out on a picnic table a bounty of donated food that included warm soups, coffee, hot chocolate, chips, tortas, tamales, popcorn and pizza.

Many said they’ve seen family members deported. They say they hear stories of federal officials knocking unannounced on doors, coming into homes and tossing people to the ground.


Students from Southwest, South, and Washburn marched along Nicollet Avenue towards Lake Street to protest the most recent deportations and raids, Wednesday, January 20, 2016 in Minneapolis, MN. (ELIZABETH FLORES/STAR TRIBUNE)

Some protesters carried signs while a few chanted, “Obama! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha,” telling the president to listen, that their community is in the fight.

A national operation earlier this month to round up recently arrived families and minors from Central America with deportation orders has drawn a major outcry from immigrant advocates and members of the Latino community. Authorities made no arrests in Minnesota and neighboring states, but advocates say news of the raids have spread anxiety in local immigrant communities.

After hitting record highs early in the Obama administration, deportations locally and nationally have dropped steadily in recent years. Immigration authorities in St. Paul, which oversee Minnesota and four other states, deported more than 1,730 immigrants in the past fiscal year, down from 4,750 three years ago. About 80 percent of those deported had a criminal conviction, which made them a priority for deportation under Obama administration policies.

Still many of the students talked about living in fear of deportation.

A 14-year old student at Hiawatha Collegiate High School who is undocumented, choked up as she spoke. “Honestly it’s scary to wake up every morning knowing that something can happen, that someone can take my family away,” she said.

Nikolas Fischer, an 8th grader at Barton Middle School, said the deportations should stop. “My dad came here from Austria and he had no problem,” Fischer said. “For other people, it’s a lot harder” even though they’re just trying to work hard, go to school and build a life.

Fischer shivered as he stood on the snowy parkland in just a light soccer warmup jacket and tennis shoes. “You’ve got to be committed,” he said.

Eleydi Rios and Denise Sanchez, two 17-year-old Apple Valley High School seniors, came to support immigrants, huddling together with a Scooby Doo blanket around their shoulders.

Both teenagers are U.S. citizens but say they’ve seen others struggle and live in fear of deportation. “I know how it feels to not be able to drive because we’re not from here. I know how it feels to not be able to get credit because we’re not from here,” Rios said.

Her sister was deported a few years ago to Mexico, but her two young daughters remain with Rios and her mother. Sanchez said her uncle was deported as well and she worries about friends’ parents being deported and their children left behind.

“A lot of people get sent to foster care and you never know where you’re going to end up,” Sanchez said.

As she cleaned up the food table, Ceballos said the protest was about “coming out of the shadows.”

She’s documented but said the deportations affect everyone in the community. “Why should we not have an opportunity to be here? The United States was founded by immigrants,” she said.

After about an hour at the park, several hundred protesters organized to march up to Lake Street. They chanted, “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.”

Minneapolis Police Department squad cars blocked off parts of Nicollet as the students walked past, but the protest was orderly and a smiling city parks employee stood nearby warning protesters about icy sidewalks.

http://www.startribune.com/minneapol...ies/365950301/

Been awhile since I've seen pics of them carrying the Mexico flag. When I first joined this forum we saw it a lot.

That's because the media wouldn't print the photos. I guess Star Tribune hasn't gotten the "word" yet on that. In my day, they would all be suspended for 3 days for skipping school and have 4 grade cuts, a cut for the day you skipped plus a cut for each of the 3 days of suspension.

This is a totally outrageous situation for our American Kids to have to see, think about, or be exposed to as a result of illegal immigration. This is not the type of thing our own kids should have to experience at school. They should not have to attend school or associate with illegal aliens or children of illegal aliens.

When Trump is in office, he'll do everything possible to put an end to such situations in our schools, workplaces and throughout our country.