Hundreds of students at Northwest San Antonio’s Marshall High School braved the rain to walk out of class in what they said was an effort to stand in solidarity with the people of Minneapolis and push back at local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The walkout at Marshall was one of at least three on Northside ISD campuses this Friday. The others occurred at Holmes and Brennan high schools.
“Students who chose to walk off-site remain subject to standard attendance policies; specifically, these absences will be recorded and applied toward final exam exemptions and credit requirements,” NISD spokesperson Barry Perez said. “While we recognize the students’ right to express their views, we are committed to maintaining a safe, undisrupted learning environment for all.”
The walkouts come a day after a tense meeting at San Antonio City Hall, during which San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus confirmed that his officers do assist ICE when asked, but that the department doesn’t conduct independent immigration enforcement.
The San Antonio school walkouts also coincide with an “economic blackout” staged by Minneapolis residents to protest against the ongoing federal occupation there. The immigration crackdown there has led to two shootings of residents, including the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good.
Tensions in Minneapolis flared again this week after ICE agents took a 5-year-old into custody. The boy is believed to be held in a detention center south of San Antonio.
CNN reports that 20,000 people are participating in a mass protest near the Target Center in Minneapolis as of press time.
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