All 13-year-old Victoria thought about as she walked down Rosedale Street with a few hundred FWISD students was her family.

She joined other students from William James Middle and Polytechnic High schools walking out of class Friday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration sending immigration officers into communities across the nation.

The walkout was part of a national day of demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials that included student protests across Tarrant County schools.

Poly High junior Kenzie stood alongside her classmates on a sidewalk in front of Texas Wesleyan University as they chanted against ICE. The protest was important to her because of her family, she said.

“I’m not going to let them take away my family,” Kenzie, 17, said. “Because it hurts us.”

Some of Victoria’s closest family members are from Mexico, she said. The seventh grader has watched how immigration enforcement has happened in other cities and can’t stop wondering what if it happens here.

“I just feel bad for all these people,” Victoria said. “We always pray for them every day.”

Other schools in the area with student walkouts included I.M. Terrell Academy, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Trimble Technical High, Richland High, Birdville High, Haltom High and L.D. Bell High.

The Poly-area students gathered at the front of Texas Wesleyan’s entrance plaza. Blaring honks from cars driving by East Rosedale Street filled the air as students chanted against ICE.

At Chisholm Park in Hurst, nearly 1,000 students from Birdville and Hurst-Euless-Bedford schools gathered to protest. Some stood atop the park’s entrance sign waving Mexican flags and holding signs, chanting as cars along Norwood Drive honked in support. Around 30 students from Richland High walked for an hour-and-a-half to reach the park.

“A school walkout is effective because it’s a unified sacrifice and it’s harder to ignore,” said Khai, a senior at Richland High who led his school’s efforts. “When you take into account hundreds — maybe thousands — of schools across the nation doing the same thing, it’s not something that can be easily ignored.”

In Fort Worth, the crowd of students crossed East Rosedale Street and Vaughn Boulevard around 11 a.m., taking their protest down Avenue G before walking back to their campuses.

Students shared first bumps with police officers who were directing traffic. Neighbors stepped out onto their front porches to see and film the students marching through the neighborhood.

Seventh grader Anabel didn’t wave a sign, but she stood shoulder to shoulder with her friends as they trekked through the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood. Like others, she was concerned about one of her closest family members getting deported.

“If I don’t have her in my life, I don’t want to be here no more,” Anabel said.

A Fort Worth police officer said several hundred students participated in the Polytechnic Heights demonstration. Fort Worth ISD officials did not have an estimate for how many students walked out of schools Friday but were aware of the demonstrations, spokesperson Jessica Becerra said.

“Our focus is student safety and keeping instruction going for students who remain in class,” she said. “If any students leave class, staff will supervise them and we’ll follow our standard safety and attendance procedures.”

A school resource officer and Fort Worth police walked alongside students as they strode along Rosedale.

Students worried about family, community

Victoria wasn’t the only student worried about family.

Mia, 12, said she marched to send a message to federal officials. She’s fearful that family members — including those with immigration papers — could be deported to Mexico, she said.

“I hope that ICE stops and that families can get reunited together,” she said.

Walking around the swarm of students was U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey. The Fort Worth Democrat was in a Texas Wesleyan board of trustees meeting when he saw the protest and documented it on his Facebook live.

It’s important for students to be out exercising their First Amendment rights protecting peaceful assembly and speech, Veasey said, noting those students will be able to vote soon.

“This is the beginning of learning the importance of voting and being civically engaged,” Veasey said.

FWISD parents ask for ICE policy

During a Fort Worth ISD school board meeting on Jan. 20, mother Layne Craig asked trustees to establish a policy outlining procedures if immigration officers appear on campuses.

Sabrina Ball, an activist and FWISD mother, handed trustees a proposal for a policy she would want the district to adopt. Ball previously asked the school board for such a policy in February.

“As a parent, I would like to see that enacted so that our students can feel safe on campus and our parents can feel comfortable with what will inevitably happen,” Craig said.

Schools do not request or seek the immigration status of students or their families. Student information is confidential under federal privacy laws.

Nearly 7 in 10 students in Fort Worth ISD are Latino. More than 42% of the district’s 70,000 students are enrolled in bilingual or ESL, English as a second language, classes.

Superintendent Karen Molinar said last year — as the Trump administration made immigration a priority — that schools will remain safe, inviting and respectful to all. Molinar issued the statement after a substitute teacher posted requests on social media asking immigration officers to deport FWISD students.

If a parent or guardian is detained during school hours, district officials will ensure the safety of students until an authorized adult can pick them up while complying with state and federal laws, Molinar previously said.

‘Stay out as long as it takes’

Polytechnic freshmen Jazlyn and Emahlynn, both 14, walked along East Rosedale Street holding signs, chanting in protest.

“We’re losing families because of this,” Emahlynn said. “These are families that work hard.”

Emahlynn said classmates have been deported. Jazlyn said her uncle, a father to a 5-year-old, was deported.

Jazlyn said her fight against immigration policies doesn’t end with a protest.

“I want everyone that was deported to know that we are on their side and only their side,” Jazlyn said. “I’ll stay out here as long as it takes to stand up for what is right and stand up for what is going on.”

Among the crowd was 17-year-old Julisa. She is scared for her family, two of whom have been deported, she said. She wanted to protest with her friends and classmates as a way to bring awareness to the issue impacting her community.

“We’re all worried for our families and we’re scared for our parents to go out because anything can happen at any time of day,” Julisa said.

Kaylan, 14, has seen how immigration enforcement happening across the U.S. affects his friend’s day-to-day lives, the high school freshman said. His friends are more cautious of their surroundings and worry about their parents being deported.

“ICE, they’ve been doing a lot of messed-up stuff, so I feel like it’s good for us to get out here and protest,” Kaylan said, referencing the killings of two Minnesota residents and treatment of people.

Cece, a senior at Hurst-Euless-Bedford’s L.D. Bell High School, joined the walkout in Hurst because many of her family members are immigrants and she worries about how immigration enforcement is affecting people in her community.

“It hurts my heart, especially when people are just trying to provide for their families,” she said.

She wants leaders, politicians and the community to understand why students chose to protest during the school day.

“We should all just stop fighting,” Cece said. “We should all be united.”

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez. 

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.

Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.

Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.