Following President Trump’s recent remarks about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), protests have taken place across the country. Demonstrations in Minnesota have followed recent fatal encounters involving federal immigration agents. In Portland, protesters have also gathered in response to immigration enforcement actions, and some students have organized walkouts. Waterloo Community Schools have now joined the list.

On Feb. 6 at 12:30 p.m., a group of students left the building as part of an organized protest. They carried signs and flags while walking through nearby neighborhoods. As passing cards would drive by, the cars would honk and students would stop to cheer. Some recorded the walkout and shared it on social media.

After leaving their classrooms, students gathered on the grounds of West High to hold a brief rally before deciding to meet with students from Waterloo East and Expo at Lincoln Park in Waterloo.

Jupiter Kalkwarf holds a sign that reads, “If you stand for nothing, what will you fall for?” surrounded by fellow protestors. Kalkwarf was a lead organizer in the protest; they pushed out a lot of information and content to promote the walkout. “Something that made it matter so deeply is that my boyfriend is Hispanic, and his family members are immigrants. They aren’t criminals, and they are the sweetest people ever. It was an honor for Anders [another organizer] to allow me to work with him on getting the protest information out and allowing me to be a leader for the protest. Everyone deserves happiness and a safe life here,” said Kalkwarf on the importance of this event.

Some adults saw the movement from the students and ended up joining the protest. A man from outside the Waterloo Schools District held up an “Abolish ICE” sign that he personally made. Gestures like sign-holding and simple cheers of encouragement from adults in the community helped the students push further with their fight as they realized that several adults agreed with their passion for change.

Claire Vandersee holds a megaphone in a mini rally on the lot of West High after the original commencement. Vandersee had a message to share with her peers and took her turn at giving a small speech. Within her moment, she shared some deeply rooted passion, “This is not the America that we built. Immigrants have built America, and specifically Waterloo. Resistance is Power.”

Many students held signs to express their thoughts outwardly and strikingly. Pictured is a student holding up a handmade sign that says, “No sign is big enough to list all of the reasons I’m here.” This message was a common theme of the walkout as students had a lot to say about the issue. Signs like this were answered with the honking of car horns as they drove past.

Students made signs with puns, hidden messages, or even quotes to describe their opinions on ICE. In one instance, a student quoted Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer and rapper who performed at the Super Bowl Halftime this year. His performance drew controversy amongst viewers, and he has openly been against ICE. On one sign, a student wrote one of his quotes about ICE, “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans.”

Jose Jimenez also took a turn at speaking with the megaphone.  His speech was short but to the point. He put passion behind his words and quoted the Constitution. Jimenez also shared his feelings about the walkout and what it truly meant to him. “This walkout was important to me because there have been so many incidents from this administration that have been so much more than just deporting illegal immigrants, and frankly, how they are doing it isn’t good whatsoever because they’re basing it on skin color and the language you speak. In the land of the ‘free,’ you have to watch how you speak, and goodness forbid you’re a shade darker than them. It’s just overall been handled badly, and it was important to speak out about it.”

One student holds up a sign that she made, reading, “No human is illegal,” with ICE crossed out. Lots of students used signs to express themselves when moments were quiet, and they were unsure what to say. Signage has consistently been a staple of protests and is being used all around the country to protest ICE deportation. When students are given the ability to fight back, they will, even if they are unsure what to say verbally, the message will be heard.

The Mexican flag was a staple symbol of the walkout. Multiple students drew the flag onto their signs or even brought their own personal flag from home. In this particular moment, the flag was held with pride above a crowd of students who all chanted in unison.

Students begin to file out of classrooms and onto the sidewalks. The moment was loud and full of realization from peers as they saw how big this had become. Many students, they were worried about the turnout and scared to see if anyone would do it. Yet, hundreds of students participated in the walkout despite their internal fears.

Naima Haynes was the head coordinator of the walkout at Waterloo East. She made her own sign to hold amongst the others in Lincoln Park. Her sign read, “I like my ICE crushed.” To Haynes, this sign demonstrated the separation of powers that the Constitution has and the checks and balances needed currently. During the protest, there was a sense of connection among all the Waterloo Schools, agreeing on such a dramatic issue. Haynes shared directly that, “This walkout was important to me because of the diverse community I am in and specifically the Hispanic community, which holds such a great population in our community and definitely in our school system.”

Finn Jimenez-Crudo holds a sign that reads “Freedom is written in blood.” He had a particular message within the wording of his sign that he wanted to execute. When asked about the wording, he shared, “Freedom doesn’t come for free. Many people died in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War one and World War two, and many more wars that have happened for liberty. You have to sacrifice something to gain something. Although it was a peaceful walkout protest, I’m glad to see many people also fighting for the cause, and many more supporting us. If the protest had turned violent, I still would have joined.” Passion is what pushed this movement. These students are angry about what is going on with the government, and they demand change.

Bwe Htoo also holds a sign that proudly says “Immigrants are not criminals.” Htoo shared that he and his family members are immigrants. Htoo was originally nervous to hold a sign, but was given one by one of the coordinators, so he decided it was important. He shared his personal feelings after participating in such an endeavor: “I’m a timid, awkward guy, so joining this protest felt like a total 180, but I’m rightfully proud and happy to have participated in this moment.”

This was a big moment for Waterloo; these students fought for what they believed in despite their internal doubts about the impact they’d make.

This story was originally published on The Wahawk Insider on February 24, 2026.