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EDINBURG — A small but passionate group of Edinburg Robert Vela High School students participated in a walkout Friday afternoon, joining a group of demonstrators across the street from the campus to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation efforts and the volatile events that have transpired surrounding raids in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Several of these students were suspended as a result. The group of around 15 people gathered across from Vela High School with anti-ICE signs, Mexican flags and signs defending freedom of speech Friday afternoon.

The students took part in the planned walkouts before school ended and joined the protesters across the street, walking out of their classes sometime after 2 p.m.

Protesters chanted “no justice, no peace” and “abolish ICE” to the passersby, many of whom were there to pick up their children.

The protest garnered mixed emotions with mostly positive interactions such as honking to show support, showing a thumbs up and cheering. It also received negative reactions, such as angry shouts toward the protesters and students.

This comes after a national and statewide wave of student walkouts and protests against ICE, which intensified after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.

Good was on her way home after dropping her son off at school while Pretti was helping up a woman who had been shoved to the ground during a protest — both were U.S. citizens, both shot and killed a week from each other.

Earlier this week, the Texas Education Agency released an outline of consequences regarding student walkouts, absences and educator and district responsibilities.

Among the consequences are students being marked as absent, schools risking daily attendance funding if they allow or encourage students to walk out of class, and being subjected to investigation and sanction — including implementing a board of managers if schools facilitate walkouts.

According to the Edinburg CISD spokesperson, Lisa Ayala, two Vela students were suspended earlier in the day because they left campus while the other students will face disciplinary action.

The spokesperson said students, parents and staff were made aware of the consequences of participating in a walkout. They added plans for a walkout were made known to the district earlier in the week.

Vela sophomore Sophia Rodriguez said at the protest that she was one of the students suspended by the high school that morning, before walking out, because the school believed she was part of the group who planned the walkout. She confirmed as much and said other students have been suspended.

“We are doing a protest against ICE because of everything that is going on around the world, especially in Minneapolis,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just not right. It’s not humane. It’s not OK. If we can do anything that we can to help, we will … We’re doing this for our community, for our people, for our rights. Know where you stand, don’t be afraid.”

Rodriguez said the school blocked the exits and had a heavy police presence all day.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t agree with it and a lot of those who do and we appreciate that, people are gonna have their opinion,” she said. “They can say what they want, but our opinion is our opinion, and we’re fighting for what we think is right.”

The high school sophomore said that even with the threat of consequences such as in school suspension, or out of school suspension, students still felt compelled to go through with the walkout.

“It’s freedom of speech, they can’t do nothing about it,” she said. “And also because, I’m doing this because my (family member) isn’t from here. Like if I were to lose her, I don’t know what I would do. And there are so many people that have lost their family members due to this, and I just cannot imagine that. And innocent U.S. citizens are dying too. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the color of your skin or citizenship, they’re just gonna kill you.”

Rodriguez ended her comments with an unapologetic, “Viva la raza!”

Similar activity occurred in Brownsville, where school district officials there warned of consequences should students violate district policies warning against class disruptions, and emphasized urgency in following those rules to keep students safe.

Students at Veterans Memorial High School reportedly walked out of class despite those warnings on Friday.

The post ‘For our people’: Edinburg Vela, Brownsville students stage walkout in protest against ICE appeared first on MyRGV.com.