Baltimore City students hold school walkouts, protests against ICE

Hundreds of students marched to City Hall and Pearlstone Park to call for the removal of ICE from their communities

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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Hundreds of Baltimore City students walked out of school on Thursday to protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling for its removal from all metropolitan cities and communities. The demonstrations took place at several schools, including Dunbar High School and Baltimore City College High School, where students marched and used signs and bullhorns to make their voices heard.

Why it matters

The student protests were sparked by a viral video showing conditions at an ICE detention facility in Baltimore, as well as growing fears within the immigrant community about ICE's actions. The walkouts and marches represent a broader youth-led movement against ICE's presence in cities across the country.

The details

At Dunbar High School, students like Jamia Johnson, a junior, and Kaeden Edwards, a senior and student government president, helped organize the protest. They said a viral video of the ICE detention center in Baltimore was the catalyst for the demonstration. Elizamary David Juarez, a Dunbar student from Honduras, said the cause is personal to her and her family because they are scared to even go out in the community. Students from Baltimore City College High School also walked out and marched to Pearlstone Park to stand in solidarity with protesters in other cities calling for the elimination of ICE facilities.

  • The student walkouts and protests took place on Thursday, February 6, 2026.

The players

Jamia Johnson

A junior at Dunbar High School who participated in the protest against ICE.

Kaeden Edwards

A senior at Dunbar High School and student government president who helped organize the protest against ICE.

Elizamary David Juarez

A Dunbar High School student from Honduras who said the cause is personal to her and her family because they are scared to go out in the community due to ICE's actions.

Baltimore City Public Schools

The school district that issued a statement supporting the students' right to peacefully protest.

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What they’re saying

“I wanted to participate because I feel like this is what's right. It's not right for ICE to be taking people who actually matter and that are people also.”

— Jamia Johnson, Dunbar High School junior (WBAL-TV 11 News)

“We need to make a message. We need to say something that even the young people notice.”

— Kaeden Edwards, Dunbar High School senior and student government president (WBAL-TV 11 News)

“All my family and friends and people surrounding me in my school, everyone in my community, are all scared. They cannot even go out and buy their own food, supplies or gas because they're scared.”

— Elizamary David Juarez, Dunbar High School student (WBAL-TV 11 News)

What’s next

City Schools said they support the students' right to peacefully protest, and the demonstrations are part of a broader youth-led movement against ICE's presence in communities across the country.

The takeaway

The student walkouts and protests in Baltimore highlight the growing concerns and fears within immigrant communities about ICE's actions, as well as the power of youth activism to drive social and political change on issues that directly impact their lives and communities.