SUFFOLK, Va. — Students at Lakeland High School in Suffolk walked out of their classes around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday to hold a peaceful protest against policies related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Gabriela Bahena, a junior at Lakeland High School, sent us pictures from the rally. She said she was inspired to organize the walkout after seeing a similar protest at Granby High School.
"I saw Granby do a walkout and I had a mutual friend there so I was like hey can you try to get me the contact person that organized that so I can try and organize my own and get more information," Bahena said.
Students were seen walking in circles and holding signs at the school's tennis courts. Some students held a Mexican flag and chanted during the demonstration.
"Obviously violence isn't the answer to most things, but just making our voices heard as loud as we can even if we are just high school students is very impactful," Bahena said.
For Bahena, the demonstration carried personal meaning.
"It felt very inspiring for me personally because I am Mexican and I know neighbors of mine whose family has gotten deported so it just felt really nice to just like see everyone come together for one thing, one cause that they all believe in," Bahena said.
The Suffolk students joined the chorus of other local high schoolers who have walked out for ICE protests in the last few weeks.
Watch previous coverage: Green Run students walk out in large ICE protest
On Friday, students from several Virginia Beach high schools participated; earlier last week, Norfolk students walked out; and the week before, multiple Chesapeake school students held their protests.
The students said they are protesting the "injustice" perpetrated by ICE officers in places like Minneapolis, where violent clashes with the public made national headlines.
