Little Village Lawndale High School students walk out in protest of Operation Midway Blitz
Hundreds of students from Little Village Lawndale High School staged a walkout and protest march opposing Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
The students, who come from one of Chicago's most predominantly Latino neighborhoods, walked out of their classrooms shortly before noon and marched from Costner to 26th Street where they gathered at the Little Village Arch for a rally, speaking out against ongoing immigration enforcement.
They were joined by students from Cristo Rey and Benito Juarez high schools in the nearby Lower West Side and Pilsen neighborhoods.
Little Village and Pilsen have been among the hardest Chicago neighborhoods hit by the immigration enforcement operations since Operation Midway Blitz began in early September. Just a week ago, there were chaotic scenes as people in the community faced off against federal agents and, in one incident, agents fired tear gas at crowds.
"When that happened, I couldn't stay quiet anymore," said Lia Sophia Lopez, a senior at Little Village Lawndale High School. She was one of the students helping lead today's walkout. "People are scared to leave their homes, people are scared to even walk across the street and that is not OK, and this is the reason we're doing this."
She and others are also calling for Chicago Public Schools to allow hybrid and remote learning options, citing safety concerns.
"This is essential. Kids are being kidnapped off the street going to school, going home," she said.
The students held signs, chanted, and blew whistles which have become a feature of community rapid response teams to notify neighbors of ICE and Border Patrol agents operating on their streets while enforcement is happening.
Some CPS board members have pushed for those options to be allowed by the state, but Gov. JB Pritzker declined the idea in a news conference last week. He said students are safer in schools, which have security protocols.
Ald. Michael Rodriguez, who represents the city's 22nd Ward, said he supports the students' peaceful walkout and echoes their concerns about the impact of the presence of federal agents is having on his community.
"You know, I've lived in Little Village all my life," he said. "I've never felt less safe than last week. Violence is down in our community 70%, and what Trump is doing is creating more violence."