Flagstaff Students Rally Against Immigration Policies
In a bold display of activism, hundreds of students from Flagstaff High School and other local schools left their classrooms on Wednesday to participate in a protest march to Flagstaff City Hall. Along Route 66, the students chanted and held signs criticizing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts.
The protest was largely driven by recent escalations in federal agent confrontations in Minneapolis and the deaths of two U.S. citizens this month. “I think taking families away, separating them—there’s no immigrants on stolen land, and that is my final opinion, and it will always stay that way,” asserted Flag High senior Kelty Bartholomew. “So, I think just murders, families being broken up, all that has pushed me to be here today, really.”
Support for the students was evident as passing drivers honked in solidarity. Notably, there were no counter-protesters present at the event.
Flagstaff Unified School District reported that approximately 700 to 800 students participated in the walkout, representing Coconino High, Flagstaff High, Mount Elden Middle School, Sinagua Middle School, and several charter schools. Attendance was tracked, and the usual procedures were applied for those absent from class.
The student-led protest in Flagstaff was part of a larger movement across Arizona. According to a report by the Arizona Republic, students from Arcadia High, Mesa High, Gilbert High, and Camelback High School in the Phoenix metro area also staged walkouts. Some students made their way to the Arizona Capitol, while others marched to Senator Mark Kelly’s Phoenix office.
Flag High senior Gabriel Trilling played a prominent role, leading chants through a bullhorn. “I see the injustices happening and I want to do something to stop it,” Trilling said. “And being a senior in high school here in Flagstaff, Arizona, this is how I see I can help. The fact that we’re all here cheering for the same thing and trying to accomplish the same goal, it makes me happy.”
Eleni Owens, another Flagstaff High student, held a sign declaring, “So bad I’m missing AP English,” and expressed her enthusiasm for the turnout. “It feels awesome. I’ve never seen this many people my age come together in this sort of fashion,” Owens remarked. She highlighted the impact of the recent deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti as a catalyst for the protest.
The walkout comes amid rising concerns within the Navajo Nation, following the detainment of a tribal member near Peoria by ICE agents, indicating broader implications for tribal communities.
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