SHOREWOOD, Wis. — Students at Shorewood High School walked out of class Friday to protest ICE and federal immigration policies as part of a broader nationwide demonstration supporting immigrant communities.
READ ALSO | Students walk out of Wauwatosa East High to protest ICE activity nationwide
Hundreds of students streamed out of the school with signs in hand, organizing what they described as a show of solidarity with immigrants facing enforcement actions.
For Shorewood senior Mira Antigua, the protest carried deep personal meaning.
Watch: Shorewood High School students walk out to protest ICE policies
"My grandparents are immigrants, and I know the lives my parents have. They had a rough life coming up, but they did it all. So, you know, I could have this incredible life, and I'm very, very blessed, and I think it's very important that every kid deserves the same life I got," Antigua said.
Antigua said watching immigration enforcement unfold in recent news coverage motivated her to take action.
"I'm glad it's being spread around, but at the same time, like it makes me so upset that this is, I mean, it's 2026, like what are we doing?" Antigua said.
She expressed frustration that young voices are often overlooked in important conversations.
"As young people, we're just seen as uneducated or just like not knowledgeable of the real world, but when in reality, like we're doing things like this, … if we can rally these people together, like what else we can do if we were actually given a voice that's listened to," Antigua said.
READ ALSO | Milwaukee group marks nearly a decade of silent protest outside ICE office
The students marched through the community, joined by elected leaders including State Representative Darrin Madison.
"It's critical that as adults we show up in defense of our young people, especially when they're trying to do what's right," Madison said.
Shorewood senior Diego Murphy led the rally, emphasizing community empowerment and action.
"People wanna act, people wanna be out here to empower the communities," Murphy said.
ICE maintains that its role is to enforce federal immigration law and carry out deportation orders issued by immigration courts. Students at the walkout expressed concerns about how those policies impact local communities.
"Be educated...know what you're talking about before you talk about it, and know who in your community is being affected and understand how they feel, have some empathy," Antigua said.
The demonstration comes amid nationwide protests following the fatal shooting of a protester by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, a situation that organizers say motivated many students to speak out.
"It's inspiring. As Representative Madison said, there's work to be done after events like these," Murphy said.
Student protesters said they plan to continue organizing, including training to become legal observers.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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