In 2026, two fatal shootings occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota, due to increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. As an act of defiance, schools in Marin County staged walkouts to protest ICE and the Trump Administration. Three of the schools in the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD), Archie Williams, Redwood High School, and Tamalpais High School, participated in resistance efforts to show disapproval of the government’s deportation of millions of immigrants without due process and with excessive violence.  

Since the Trump Administration took office in 2025, controversies have surrounded the administration on the issue of the rapid deportation of immigrants and the deployment of ICE agents into U.S. cities. Although past presidents have used ICE, Trump’s approach has garnered the attention of many Americans and enraged communities throughout the country.

This past January, ICE officers fatally shot Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Their deaths sparked outrage across the country, including in the Bay Area. The story that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) paints of Pretti’s and Good’s deaths shows similarities, both times stating that agents acted in self-defense despite evidence to the contrary. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Good died when an ICE officer shot into her car three times, killing her instantly. With each different video, a new story unfolds: the Trump administration and ICE officers claim she was trying to run over a fellow officer, and the shooting was self-defense, whereas witness accounts speak of a mother dropping her kids off at school, trying to get home, and even turning her car away from the ICE officer who would later kill her. 

Good’s death inspired Redwood’s walkout; after seeing a social media promotion for a walkout against ICE, Redwood sophomore Nico Less spoke with her Associated Student Body (ASB) president, senior Madison Bishop, and organized their own walkout. They adapted and modified the walkout idea, promoting it online and with others at Redwood. On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Redwood students gathered around Larkspur Town Hall and protested against ICE and the Trump Administration.

“We reached out to Redwood alumni who had previously planned walkouts and asked for their advice. Once we got the idea formed, I went to my ASB president, and we started planning the walkout and promoted it on our Instagram… The walkout was a huge success, and the majority of [Redwood] students participated,” Nico said.

Although the walkout didn’t make it to Archie Williams immediately, it spread all the way to Marin Academy and Tam. The walkouts at the different schools brought people together and showed their continued disapproval of the Trump Administration and the violence in Minnesota. 

“We wanted it [the walkout] to actually mean something. We did it for the people in our community who are affected by ICE,” Nico said.

The second fatal shooting in Minneapolis occurred Saturday, Jan. 24, a little over two weeks after Good’s death. Federal Agents shot and killed Alex Pretti at an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis; he had joined the fight after the death of Renee Good in early January. DHS states that the ICE officer fired in self-defense because of a handgun that Pretti had legally on his body, in plain sight. However, eyewitnesses and video evidence show that Pretti was only trying to help a person whom an ICE agent had pushed, and he never held his weapon, only his phone. An ICE officer shot Pretti 10 times in total, even as ICE officers held his pistol and he was clearly of no clear threat to them.

After Pretti’s death, Archie Williams ASB decided to join a nationwide protest against the Trump administration Friday, Jan 30. Following in the footsteps of Redwood and many other Marin schools, Archie Williams ASB planned a walkout and encouraged students to get involved, making signs and sharing the message. 

“We [ASB] saw other schools were doing it… and we decided that we would join in…  After the second shooting, we decided that we didn’t want to stay silent. We wanted to use our voices to speak out against ICE,” said sophomore ASB Media Leader Minna Zickler.

During the Archie Williams walkout, students marched down Sir Francis Drake Blvd. to the Hub intersection and later, the San Anselmo town hall. There, The Branson School, White Hill Middle School, and San Domenico School students joined the Archie Williams students. Students from all four schools protested for two hours with homemade signs and creative chants. The San Anselmo community rallied around the protesters; some residents showed support by honking their horns, while others got out of their cars and joined the protest.

Social media contributed to this massive turnout. Around the country, people were promoting the national walkout and urging others to participate. When Archie Williams ASB saw this, they decided to promote it on their social media as well, in hopes of a bigger crowd.

“[Instagram] impacted the walkout because it was how we got everyone to know what was happening, what we wanted to do, and what to bring… With social media, we got a way better turnout,” Minna said.

This national protest empowered students’ voices, and across the country, there were acts of dissent for the current administration. TUHSD students exercised their First Amendment right of freedom of speech to protest and express their concern and disagreement with the administration’s approach to homeland security. The students inspired TUHSD Superintendent Dr. Courtney Goode with the actions and risks that they took. 

“We have a lot of thoughtful and engaged students who care about what’s happening in the world around them and in our country and are demanding better… I think [protesting’s] the right way for people to express themselves when they’re dissatisfied with things that are going on in the country, and there’s plenty to be dissatisfied about,” Goode said.

These walkouts help spread the word and advocate for the people detained by ICE and allow U.S. students to speak up and call on the U.S. government to change its approach. As high school students aren’t yet allowed to vote, protesting is one of the most powerful ways to show dissent. To continue this movement, individuals can participate in more protests or walkouts, or contact local officials to vote or share their opinion.