Arianna Peper
Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Arianna Peper
“We walked out with a clear goal in mind: to show that the students of WG don’t tolerate injustice,” senior and organizer of the WGHS walkout against ICE, Kiran Bergfeld said via email.
On Jan. 30, schools from across the United States participated in a national walkout protesting the recent events involving the mass deportations and the violence displayed by ICE agents.
Amongst those schools, WGHS students participated in a peaceful walkout that began at 10:15 a.m. where students marched from the high school to City Hall to protest against ICE.
According to NPR.org, ICE has grown to be the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency with $85 million now at its disposal due to President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” which was passed in July of 2025. The bill set aside over $170 billion to support the Trump administration’s deportation and detainment of a “record number of people from the U.S.”
Since Trump took office in January of 2025, ICE has deported roughly 540,000 people according to an article from brookings.edu.
As the ICE agency surges in funding, violent outbreaks and harm from ICE agents have been rapidly occurring as shooting incidents from ICE personnel across the U.S. continue, resulting in several deaths.
On Jan. 7, American citizen and 37 year-old mother in Minneapolis, Renee Nicole Good was shot to death in her vehicle by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
According to the article from PBS News, Minnesota’s investigation agency said that the U.S. The Attorney’s Office claimed federal jurisdiction and blocked Minnesota state officials from obtaining evidence.
About the Trump Administration freezing Minnesota out of the investigation, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticised the choice and said, “It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome.”
In response to these incidents, walkouts across the country occurred in schools in hope pushing representatives to take action according to an article from The Guardian.
Photo by Arianna Peper
Bergfeld said, “The need for action became blatantly apparent within the past few weeks. The violence ICE is inflicting is not only inhumane, but terrifying. Now is the time for us to take a stand and show that we don’t support this. “
Junior Ruby Reeves said, “ICE and the DHS continue to attack and challenge rights enshrined in the Constitution and the fabric of our nation. To me, this walkout was not a moment for me and the rest of the students at Webster to complain; it was an opportunity to be tactful and send a message.”
Bergfeld said the event was planned for WGHS in two days, where “lots of people were involved in organizing this- making sure information was spread, signs were distributed, chants were known, and goals were articulated.”
During the walkout, Bergfeld said students told Mayor of Webster Groves Laura Arnold that they are fearful of ICE entering St. Louis encouraged her to do everything in her power to keep them out of the community, and to urge her colleagues of different municipalities to do the same.
Students from Hixson Middle School also participated in a walkout and gathered at City Hall.
About the walkout, Arnold said via email, “This was the largest student organized protest that I have seen in my time in city government. I applaud the organizers for their determination and inclusiveness. I am very happy that students are using their voices to influence important policy, especially in speaking for those who may not be able to speak for themselves.”
In response to the message from WG students, Arnold added that although she nor the city have power in this situation, “What we do have control over is how our police department engages with other law enforcement agencies when it comes to immigration. We do not have any agreements to share information with ICE and I do not expect that we will in the future.”
The protest inspired discussion of next steps and the police chief will appear at the City Council meeting, following the walkout, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, to “brief us on our policies, training and procedures related to immigration enforcement and interactions with federal agencies like ICE,” Arnold said.
“We want to have a very open conversation about what our community expects from our own Police Department and how that may be limited by state and federal law. We also want to consider if changes are necessary to ensure that we are as welcoming and safe for all people as possible,” Arnold added.
According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, more than 1,000 Webster Groves students participated in the event.
Arnold said, “ The presence of high school and middle school students at City Hall fighting for the rights of their neighbors, friends and families was inspiring. We must work to create the country and community that we want to live in. They are doing that.”
WGHS staff members were made aware of the event a few days prior to its occurrence.
Assistant principal Madeline Craig said, “Once we had an idea of what was happening, we as an administrative team did our best to keep students safe and minimize the disruption to the rest of the campus. We made sure that we had eyes on the students as they walked, which meant a couple administrators followed students off campus. The rest of us stayed back and made sure the building was safe and running smoothly.”
Students participating in the event skipped their third period class and in response to that, Craig said they received consequences per the WGHS handbook.
Craig said, “In our handbook, it lists reasons why students can miss class. These include things such as illness, college visits, religious observation or doctors’ visit.”
Despite the knowledge of the consequences, students participated in the walkout.
Bergfeld said, “Watching hundreds of my fellow classmates take a stand not only gave me chills, but it also made me insanely inspired. I have never been more proud to be a member of Webster Groves.”
Moving forward, Bergfeld encourages students to keep an eye on the news and “remember to stand up in the face of oppression and fight for what’s right.”
As for Arnold’s message to students who participated in the walkout, she said, “Advocate for the community and country you want to live in. Even if you are not of voting age, you have a voice that you can use to hold leaders accountable.”
Photo by Arianna Peper
Arianna Peper–Editor in Chief
This will be Arianna Peper’s third year on ECHO staff. She made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year.
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