Conant students walk out in support of immigrant rights

by Alexa Orlowski, Jessica Pfeifer · February 13, 2025

Student and adult protestors work together to spread their message through their signs and chants

Approximately 50 Conant students walked out of the building between 7th and 8th periods on February 7 to protest against the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to demonstrate solidarity with the Hispanic communities at Conant.

Protesters walked along Plum Grove Road from the Cougar Trail intersection to the East Higgins Road intersection. Students held signs with sentiments such as, “Keep families together” and, “Soy la voz de mi familia,” which translates to, “I am the voice of my family.”

This comes after President Trump, as one of his first actions in office, discarded a Biden-era policy that prohibited agents from arresting undocumented migrants in “safe havens” such as hospitals, schools, and churches. This opens up the doors for ICE to make arrests in these locations.

Throughout the city of Chicago, ICE has been “sweeping” public spaces and making arrests in these spaces since Trump’s inauguration, instilling fear throughout the city and neighboring suburbs, including at Conant.

This fear inspired students like Bianca Lorenzo, ‘28, who walked out on Friday, to speak out. “Immigrants shouldn’t get [deported] just because we’re immigrants. We’re all human—we’re not weird, we’re not aliens,” she said.

Students are feeling the effects of the policy change as many continue to worry that their peers, family members, and even themselves may be deported.

Jude Abuali, ‘25, has participated in similar protests at Conant in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Although she is not directly affected by the threat of ICE intervention in schools, she decided to participate in the walkout, as she feels empathy for those who have been worrying about their own safety. “I want people at the end of the day to go home to their families, and it’s very hard to do that nowadays, and everyone deserves the right to have a family,” Abuali said.

Protestors stand on the corner of Plum Grove and Higgins holding a handmade sign that translates to, “For my mother who came with nothing and gave me everything!!”

Walkout co-organizer Alex Gutierrez, ‘26, echoed the importance of connecting the cause to more people in the area. “I think it’s more about getting the community together at such a vulnerable time to show support for everybody else,” Gutierrez said.

For students who are having a difficult time processing the changes brought by the legalization of ICE raids in public spaces, Principal Julie Nowak says, “I suggest they make an appointment with their school counselor or any trusted adult in administration or student services. For those wanting resources, there is information and support on our District’s Family Resource page.” Students can also utilize the safety concern button if they are in need of additional support.

In an email sent to students, parents, and staff on February 5 titled “All Belong Here,” principals and other staff members from across the district shared that D211 does not collect information about students’ or families’ immigration statuses, and all student information is withheld from law enforcement pending “legal authorization or parent/guardian consent.”

When it comes to District 211 policy regarding potential ICE investigations within schools, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA), the school is not able to share any information or records on students without a parent’s consent. The district is also unable to make a student available or confirm their attendance to any authorities.

A few adult members of the group Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, an organization whose mission is “to educate, organize, and mobilize DuPage County around the rights and collective struggles of the Latino community,” joined student protesters.

Members of the Immigrant Solidarity DuPage organization meet students at the fence that runs between Conant and Plum Grove road

Executive Director of Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, Cristobal Cavazos, encouraged students to continue mobilizing amid the uncertainty of immigration policy in the US.

“We want you guys to be at the front of more and more student protests,” he said while addressing the group of student protesters.

The adults and students alike said they were brought together by one common goal: heightened community awareness. When asked if they thought that the protest would change anything within the community, Pat Ciavarella, ‘26 said, “I don’t know if it’ll change any laws… but it’ll show that there’s a community of people that support immigrants here.”