Iowa City students took their concerns to the streets regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Feb. 5, 2026. Inspired by Liberty High School’s protest on Jan. 30, 2026, West High School students led a protest alongside other members of the Iowa City community. 

Organizers Tirza Overholt, 12, (she/they), and Ella Lewis, 10, (she/her), share a particular connection to the heart of ICE action in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I have friends and loved ones who live, work and go to school in Minneapolis. ICE agents terrorizing their neighborhoods has really hit home,” Lewis said.

Lewis emphasizes the importance of support regarding the issue. “People are checking in with their neighbors, donating financially and volunteering their time to organizations that support immigrants, learning of other ways they can be supportive in their communities…there are lots of things we can do, even the little things have an impact,” Lewis said. 

For others, the events hit closer to home. “My closest family friend lives in Minneapolis. My best friend is from Spain,” Overholt said. “ I have a lot of Spanish-speaking people and culture in my life… Just hearing their stories and their little siblings—how scared they are to speak Spanish in public, asking about whether they should show that they’re Hispanic or not to protect themselves. It’s just really troubling.”

Overholt and Lewis stress that they could not have organized the protests alone. In moments of uncertainty, they took initiative, alerting staff and following protocol.

“I saw that activist groups were organizing a nationwide no work, no school, no shopping day for Friday (January 30). That Thursday afternoon, I wanted to find a protest I could join…but all I found was other students looking for the same thing,” Lewis said. 

Lewis’s process started by reviewing standard procedure for student protests at ICCSD. “We looked through the school handbook. I knew some students planned to skip school the entire day as part of the nationwide shutdown… I thought a mid-day walkout seemed like a good middle ground where anyone interested could participate…We quickly made a couple of fliers that I sent to a couple teachers and our principal to give them a heads up, and we shared them on social media,” Lewis said.

Per protocol, an email from Liberty High School Principal Justin Colbert soon followed. “We want to make you aware that we have been informed of student walk-outs planned for today regarding concerns about recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).” 

“I thought their response was perfect. They told everyone what was happening, remained neutral and offered respect and support to all,” Lewis said. 

Similarly, Overholt found the process quite simple once they started planning the walkout. She started by creating a Canva graphic, picking a date and time, discussing a detailed plan with administrators then creating a guide. “We had a “specifics” poster that I made just to make it easier for people who wanted to come…to give them a step-by-step instead of it feeling like an abstract idea,” Overholt said. 

Miley Gallegos, 12, (she/her), attended the protest at Liberty High School. “We speak out for the people who can’t speak out for themselves,” Gallegos said. “Every day that you don’t speak up is every day that they [ICE] gain more power. We’re a community and a community comes together when times are tough. This is one of those times.”

Queren Bungu, 12, (she/her), attended the protest at Liberty.detailing her experience as a daughter of immigrants. “This is important to me because I have parents who are immigrants,” Bungu said. “To come home to the thought of not seeing them breaks my heart. For me, that is something that hasn’t happened, but for somebody out there, that’s their reality right now.”

Downtown Iowa City, West High School’s Waleed Ibrahim, 12, (he/him), credited his drive to take action to his community. “It’s really the severity of the situation,” Ibrahim said. “My mom’s a first-generation immigrant. Even if I wasn’t part of an immigrant family, I think that just in general, treating people like they are animals or as people who don’t deserve to have the same rights as everyone else is just stupid. I think that’s horrible.”

Angela McKee, 12, (she/her), who is also a Black Student Union leader at West High School, reiterated Ibrahim’s sentiments. “As a BSU leader, it came natural to me to stand up for what’s right, especially when it’s kids around me that are being treated differently. I had to say something…I wouldn’t forgive myself if I stayed silent,” McKee said. 

McKee sensed tension in the atmosphere. “Everyone was mad, but it took someone to actually stand up and make a change and put action to that,” McKee said. “Someone mentioned at the protest that if you’re not voting, then you’re part of the problem. I hope that people can take that to their heart and to their mind. In times like this, it’s especially hard to assume when certain people are being targeted.”

“I doubted my small voice when we were throwing this walkout together at the last minute. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing, having never planned anything like it before. I wondered if anyone would walk out with me, but once I was out there with around 100 other students, joining my friends in chants resisting ICE, I felt the power of that small voice,” Lewis said.

Many express shared visions for Iowa City’s future. “Through the protest, I hope to achieve change, whether it’s small or large…I really hope people who have control, or maybe people who don’t have control, can at least speak up about something that they don’t find is equal, whether it’s relating to ICE or just any problem,” Ibrahim said. “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.”

For those who are feeling overwhelmed, Overholt provided a guide. “Call your legislators. You can go on the app 5 calls. It gives you a script of what to say to your representatives and all their numbers and contact information. It makes it super, super easy for people to share their opinions. Just remember that there is hope,” Overholt said.

“I’m proud to be a part of a district that is inclusive and supportive of their students, and respects and honors our right to free speech,” Lewis said.