DALLAS — Students at several Dallas Independent School District campuses staged walkouts Tuesday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
The largest demonstration took place at Townview Magnet Center, where hundreds of students gathered near the school’s main entrance, holding signs and chanting in solidarity with families affected by ICE actions. Similar walkouts were reported at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts and W.T. White High School. Dallas ISD police were present during the peaceful protests.
The walkouts are part of a wave of student-organized demonstrations across North Texas and other parts of the state in recent weeks. Participants said they wanted to raise awareness of the fear and uncertainty experienced by families facing deportation.
“We’ve seen the fear in our communities. We’re using our voices because we have a right to speak out on issues that directly impact our lives and our sense of safety,” the ICE Out of Dallas Student Initiative said in a news release.
Immigration attorney Belinda Arroyo described the impact she sees firsthand on children whose parents are in ICE custody. “These are the students attending Texas school districts every day, dealing with the weight of their parents being detained or potentially deported,” she said. “This will be the generation of children who remember this administration deported or attempted to deport their parents.”
On the other side, Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency have warned school districts that supporting or encouraging walkouts could lead to consequences, including funding cuts or legal liability. Abbott has already directed the TEA to investigate districts in Central Texas where similar protests took place last week.
While students retain their constitutional right to free speech, the Supreme Court has ruled that schools can limit speech that causes substantial disruption. Walkouts can be considered a disruption, and students may face unexcused absences, but disciplinary action cannot be based on the reason for the protest.