Bloomfield Students Hold Anti-ICE Walkout To Protest Immigration Crackdown

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A large crowd of Bloomfield High School students held a walkout on Tuesday afternoon to protest the federal immigration crackdown taking place under the Trump administration.

Students were seen walking out of the high school and marching down Bloomfield Avenue towards Town Hall, where they gathered on the front steps and on the sidewalk.

The teens carried signs that read “Education Not Deportation,” “We Are All Immigrants” and “Abolish ICE.”

>> READ MORE: Photos Give An Inside Look At Bloomfield Student Walkout

The scene caused some people to look twice.

“Cruising down Bloomfield Avenue and it looked like the whole Bloomfield school district was on a protest march against ICE,” a social media commenter wrote. “Plenty of people passing by in cars honking in support as they marched to the Town Hall.”

The student-led protest also attracted older supporters, including U.S. Congress candidate Analilia Mejia, a Glen Ridge resident, who brought snacks for the students and spoke to them outside the Bloomfield municipal building.

Mejia pointed out that the student walkout is taking place as the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to vote on controversial legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security – and ICE. READ MORE: Negotiations To Avert Shutdown Continue As Democrats Block Government Funding Package

The protest got a mixed reaction online.

“Kudos to the kids of Bloomfield High School that know if they don’t stand for something they’ll fall for anything,” a commenter said.

“This is not education, this is indoctrination,” a critic of the march countered, sharing video footage from the scene.

Bloomfield district administrators shared a statement about the demonstration earlier this week with the school community.

“While we recognize that civic engagement and participation in the democratic process are worthwhile endeavors, please be advised that this is not a school-sponsored event,” principal Chris Jennings wrote.

Classes will proceed as scheduled, attendance will be taken, and students are expected to be in their assigned locations, the letter stated.

“Bloomfield High School strives to be a welcoming environment for everyone,” the letter continues. “A vital part of the democratic process is that all beliefs are respected. While we appreciate students finding their voices, it is equally important that no student feels compelled to participate in an unsanctioned demonstration.”

Bloomfield isn’t the only New Jersey school district that has recently seen a student walkout. Student-led protests against ICE have taken place across the nation over the past week, including a walkout at Hillsborough High School in Somerset County.

President Donald Trump has claimed that a nationwide crackdown is needed to push back against a “large-scale invasion” of illegal immigration. On the first day of his second term, the White House announced a sweeping wave of presidential actions and executive orders.

“Over the last four years, the United States has endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level,” Trump said. “Millions of illegal aliens from nations and regions all around the world successfully entered the United States where they are now residing.”

“This cannot stand,” the president added.

Other lawmakers have disagreed, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who recently called Delaney Hall in Newark – the first federal immigration detention center opened under Trump’s second term – a “moral stain” on the nation.

• See Related: Bloomfield Residents On Edge After ICE Arrests In North Jersey, Mayor Says
• See Related: Anti-ICE Activists Tell NJ School Board To Cut Ties With Food Company

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