SOTA Students Hold Protest Walkout Against ICE

Dozens of students as young as 12 demonstrated against immigration enforcement agency

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Dozens of students at Rochester's School of the Arts (SOTA) held a protest walkout on Tuesday afternoon, standing on the corner of University Avenue and Prince Street with signs calling for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanding the agency leave their community.

Why it matters

The student-led protest reflects growing activism among young people on political issues, as well as ongoing community concerns about the role of federal immigration enforcement in local neighborhoods.

The details

The SOTA students, some as young as 12 years old, stood holding signs with slogans like "Abolish ICE" and "ICE Out of Our Communities." Protesters said the walkout showed unity and a determination among the younger generation to make their voices heard on important issues.

  • The protest walkout took place on Tuesday afternoon.

The players

School of the Arts (SOTA)

A public performing arts high school in Rochester, New York.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the United States.

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What they’re saying

“I think being the next generation coming up, us being in high school, what we're taught is going to teach us is going to represent how we are through our life. And I think us being able to make our own decision to come out today and protest the way we did, showed a lot of unity together as a community. And it showed everybody that drove past on the street, whether they agreed with us or not, that this new upcoming generation of adults, we're going to try our best to work together.”

— SOTA Student (whec.com)

The takeaway

The SOTA student protest reflects a growing political awareness and activism among young people, who are using their voices to advocate for causes they believe in and to influence the future direction of their communities.