Students stand and listen to chants during an ICE related walkout at Bryan Station High School in Lexington, Kentucky, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Christian Kantosky/The Watchdog

More than 1,000 students from Lexington staged school walkouts, joining nationwide protests to “take a stand” against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies and tactics.

During the second week of February, Fayette County Public School students organized demonstrations at Bryan Station High School, Frederick Douglass High School, Lafayette High School, Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School, Tates Creek High School and Henry Clay High School.

Many Americans have protested ICE following the agency’s operations in Minneapolis, according to the Associated Press, with ICE’s campaign in the city being the “biggest ever immigration enforcement operation.”

Jabez Caraballo, a junior at PLD, said he helped organize the walkout at his school after a student approached him for advice after seeing him advocate for those affected by ICE.

Over 200 students walked out of PLD on Tuesday, Feb. 10 chanting “say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE” and “ICE out” along Man o’ War Boulevard.

There comes a point when adults “fail” to take charge and speak up, Carabello said, and as the next generation, he said young people have a responsibility to raise their voices and protest injustice.

“Even though we may not have college degrees, and we may only be in high school,” Caraballo said, “we are capable, we are able.”

Students walk on the sidewalk and the road during an ICE related walkout at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Christian Kantosky/The Watchdog

According to Caraballo, immigrants and people of color in the United States often fear being targeted by ICE because of their skin color.

“I’ve known the fear that it is to not know if your dad is going to be racially profiled against, or if you yourself are going to be racially profiled against,” Caraballo said. “I feel like at the end of the day, when rule of law becomes under attack, our constitution comes under attack, we have to stand up and use our voice.”

While right now, Caraballo said ICE and other administrations are mainly “targeting” people of color, this is a fight that involves every American. 

“When we start putting people in a box, of ‘it’s okay for these people’s rights to be rescinded or to be ignored,’” Caraballo said, “that’s when it becomes dangerous.”

Nora Whipple, a senior at Henry Clay who helped organize the school’s walkout on Friday, Feb. 13, said she has a friend who started carrying their legal documentation with them in case they are stopped by ICE.

“Kids shouldn’t have to worry about that,” Whipple said. “They should just be at school, learning, being kids. But instead they have to worry about literally being kidnapped from the only place that they’ve known.”

Seeing people in her life impacted by ICE served as an inspiration for Whipple to help organize Henry Clay’s walkout, saying while she may not be targeted, knowing others who might be made her feel as if she needed to take action.

Students hold signs during an ICE related walkout at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Ky, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Sydney Novack/The Watchdog

During Henry Clay’s protest, students walked to where Fontaine Road met Richmond Road, holding signs with sentiments such as “ICE out,” “No human is illegal on stolen land” and “We all bleed the same color.”

Toward the end of the walkout, some students gathered around the Henry Clay school sign, chanting slogans as cars driving by honked in solidarity.

Henry Clay freshman, Yamileth Cruztapia, said it was no longer a question about politics, but about humanity and “being a decent human,” pushing her to participate in her school’s walkout.

“This is just a way to disguise racism and a pure hatred for people of color, which is unfair,” Cruztapia said. “If you aren’t willing to agree to that, then you are part of the injustice, and I refuse to be a part of the oppression, and [I will] stand up for my people and for the others that can’t use their voice.”

Along with fighting for justice, Cruztapia said the walkout was about proving that “the youth have the power to make change,” saying it felt good to see her peers be willing to speak out for those who do not have the power to do so.

Lexington’s Vice Mayor and Council at-large Dan Wu said, young people often feel they don’t have power or influence. He said it was “phenomenal” to see the next generation of Kentuckians “wield their voice.”

“It’s going to take every level of society and everybody who cares about human rights right now to really stand up and speak out for a lot of the folks who don’t have a voice,” Wu said. “The more voices we can have at the table, the better.”

Students sit on top of the sign during an ICE related walkout at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Sydney Novack/The Watchdog

Nya Howell, a freshman student who helped organize Henry Clay’s walkout, said many underestimate teenagers, assuming they do not pay attention to the world around them.

“I feel like people really need to count us as part of protests and resisting what’s happening,” Howell said. “We are a very big part of it, even if people kind of choose to ignore the fact that teenagers actually do care.”

Howell’s role in organizing the protest included coordinating with Henry Clay administrators, as well as making “ICE out” pins and bracelets with similar notions for participants. She said the accessories ran out quickly, as the walkout’s attendance exceeded their expectations. 

“I really didn’t know how it was going to go, and to see that the word actually got out and that people actually cared and wanted to participate was a really, really great feeling,” Howell said.

More than 400 students met in the Lafayette High School cafeteria and walked out of the school doors at 1:40 p.m on Friday, Feb. 13, to protest ICE.

Students circled the school three times, chanting “no justice, no peace,” as others watched from cars and class windows, shouting in support, including Laila Petrie, a freshman at Lafayette.

Petrie said she organized the walkout after observing ICE’s actions within the United States this year.

According to Petrie, the government is “controlling those who cannot speak up for themselves,” and she hopes other students who saw the walkout were inspired to speak up about what they believe in.

“Youth in today’s society is so important for how the future will turn out,” Petrie said. “We need to do our duty to sort of speak up against what’s going on in the world and force our voices into the ears of those who are in power.”