Focus on the BIG picture.
Tuesday, Dec 09, 2025
Outside the box.
Portland Students Walk Out Over U.S. Immigration Detentions Amid Nationwide ICE Protests
More than 500 pupils march to City Hall after classmates detained by immigration agents — part of a growing wave of student protests across the United States
More than five hundred students from public and private high schools in Portland Public Schools and nearby private schools left their classes and marched through the city to protest the detention of two of their peers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The walkout, held outside City Hall, expressed solidarity with the detained students and opposition to increased immigration-enforcement activity.
The protest followed news that two teenagers — one aged 16, the other 14 — along with their mother and older sister, had been detained by ICE after being denied asylum in Canada.
Their family, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now faces separation, with the younger children held in detention facilities in Texas and their older sister confined in New York.
Organised by students from several schools, the demonstration began with a gathering at Monument Square before proceeding on foot to the steps of City Hall.
Marchers carried signs with slogans such as “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state” and “Funding for jobs and education, not for mass incarceration,” highlighting concerns over immigration policy, family separation, and the broader impact of enforcement on immigrant communities.
Supporters including school administrators and local community leaders joined the students, underscoring the emotional toll on families.
One organizer emphasised that “no one should be forced into the shadows simply because they came here searching for a better life.” Others stressed that the protest reflects widespread anxiety over the presence of federal agents in communities, and a demand for fair treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers.
The Portland walkout is the latest in a growing pattern of student-led demonstrations across the United States, from California to North Carolina and Oregon, as thousands of young people mobilise against deportations and what they see as threats to immigrant families.
Their actions reflect alarm over recent enforcement measures and a broader social push for immigrant rights and justice.
The walkout, held outside City Hall, expressed solidarity with the detained students and opposition to increased immigration-enforcement activity.
The protest followed news that two teenagers — one aged 16, the other 14 — along with their mother and older sister, had been detained by ICE after being denied asylum in Canada.
Their family, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now faces separation, with the younger children held in detention facilities in Texas and their older sister confined in New York.
Organised by students from several schools, the demonstration began with a gathering at Monument Square before proceeding on foot to the steps of City Hall.
Marchers carried signs with slogans such as “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state” and “Funding for jobs and education, not for mass incarceration,” highlighting concerns over immigration policy, family separation, and the broader impact of enforcement on immigrant communities.
Supporters including school administrators and local community leaders joined the students, underscoring the emotional toll on families.
One organizer emphasised that “no one should be forced into the shadows simply because they came here searching for a better life.” Others stressed that the protest reflects widespread anxiety over the presence of federal agents in communities, and a demand for fair treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers.
The Portland walkout is the latest in a growing pattern of student-led demonstrations across the United States, from California to North Carolina and Oregon, as thousands of young people mobilise against deportations and what they see as threats to immigrant families.
Their actions reflect alarm over recent enforcement measures and a broader social push for immigrant rights and justice.
