Charlotte student protesters fired up over ICE agents

Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A. – A 16-year-old organized an anti-ICE demonstration at a Charlotte, North Carolina high school that spurred many of her fellow students to walk out of class on Friday in protest.

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Giana Rodriguez, a junior at Providence High School, said seeing the intensifying activity of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Charlotte pushed her to take action.

She said she wanted immigrant students who may have felt overlooked to know that they are not alone.

“I wanted to be the voice for those students,” Rodriguez said. “I’m Honduran as well.”

Rodriguez said she understands why people may be hesitant to speak up, especially with ICE’s violent tendencies. She emphasized that courage comes after taking that first leap. 

“I think that it’s harder in your head than you really think it is. At first, I was honestly really scared to speak up,” she said.

But once she saw how much support she was getting, Rodriguez said, “I realized that it wasn’t really that bad.”

Rodriguez sought and got support from Principal Tracy Harrill to stage the protest.

While Rodriguez led the walkout and encouraged students to speak up, senior Rebekah Montoya said she felt compelled to protest ICE because of the fear they have enacted in her community. 

“My dad is from Colombia and my mom is from Honduras. And so, all my life, I’ve been very aware of how immigrants are treated in this country,” Montoya said. “As an American born citizen, I have the right to stand up for my family and for friends who are going through this issue.”

The impact of ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has extended beyond her own family, Montoya said.

“It’s just really sad to see that and see people not even wanting to walk out of their homes because they’re scared that the future that they’re trying to give themselves is gonna be taken away,” Montoya added.

ICE launched its operation in Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 15, enraging local people and businesses. Some reacted fearfully of the influx of ICE agents in home they thought was safe. 

Two days later, on Monday, Nov. 17, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools estimated around 21,000 students, or 15%, were absent.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district is one of the nation’s largest. 

Though some students at Providence held back out of concern for their own safety, hundreds of others showed support at the Nov. 21 protest at the school.

Many said they were angry about the deployment of ICE, which has demonstrated racial profiling and inhumane treatment of immigrants during sweeps in other cities.

Hundreds of Providence students took part, carrying signs that read, “ICE melts in NC heat” and chanting, “ICE has got to go.” 

In an interview, Rodriguez said that performative activism – simply reposting articles on Instagram, for instance – is not enough to combat an issue of this magnitude. She urged people to take tangible action and to contact governors, representatives, policymakers, or any person in power to push for change.

Rithika Saravanan is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International.