Editor’s Note: Some students in this article requested that their last names not be included in the interest of privacy and safety of themselves and their families. 

“We want justice, we want peace. We want ICE off our streets!”

“¡El pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido!”

“When families are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

An anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement walkout took place during lunch Wednesday, Feb. 18, and aimed to stand up against recent operations by ICE. Archer’s administration permitted upper school students to walk off campus while middle school students protested in front of the school.

Students gathered on the front veranda to listen to opening remarks before the walkout began. They then walked along the sidewalk from Archer’s campus to the Barrington Recreation Center, shouting chants and holding up protest signs along the way.

Initially, Camila (’28), one of the students who asked to only be identified by her first name, sent an email to the student body Sunday, Feb. 8, attempting to organize a walkout for the following day. Head of Upper School Maggie Cenan responded, reminding students of the guidelines for off-campus privileges during the school day and writing that Archer supports students’ rights to “express their opinions and engage with issues that matter to them.”

Shortly after, Camila responded and wrote that the walkout was no longer happening. But a group of students — Sarah (’28), Milan (’27), Andrea (’28), Ismarcis (’28) and Camila (’28) — soon met with Head of School Elizabeth English to discuss how they could still provide an outlet for students to voice their concerns. English said she appreciated the initiative the students took to be the change they want to see. Among those students, Camila said she noticed Archer did not previously hold spaces to talk about the current situation with ICE.

“They expressed, in particular, how hard it has been for some students in our community, particularly those with immigrant families, how difficult this year has been, given the ICE activity nationwide but also in Los Angeles in particular,” English said. “One of the first things I said was ‘I feel the school’s missed an opportunity to really lean in and do better by the students who worry about whether or not their parents are going to be home when they get home, or their siblings or their aunts and their uncles.'”

English said she was more than happy to support the walkout. She said Archer works every day to encourage students to be bold and unafraid to stand up for what they believe in.

“It was a courageous thing to do to email the Head of School, but it was also the right thing to do,” English said. “I give them all the credit, because they came with a PowerPoint — it was thoughtful, it was well organized and it was going to prime our school for action —  I give all the credit to the students for this. And yes, I was supportive, but without their initiative and without their leadership, it wouldn’t have happened.”

As students, faculty and staff protested, Camila said many cars honked in support. She said she was pleasantly surprised by the student turnout.

“I got really emotional because I didn’t really think that many people were going to come or show up for what a bunch of students planned,” Camila said. “I thought it was beautiful, and I was really happy, and I was really emotional, and so was a bunch of other people.”

English said the walkout made her tear up. She said the protest was a reminder of the importance of engaging in democracy.

“It was a lesson in the fact that when you come together, you feel less alone. You gain courage to do more and to do it again,” English said. “I think that’s one of the important things about people putting signs in their yard and wearing political protest T-shirts, it’s like you’re giving other people permission to use their voices and to speak up about things that they believe need change.”

Senior Darian Weiss attended the walkout and said she appreciated seeing everyone support each other. She said the community felt “united.”

“In events and scary times like this, no matter if you’re directly affected or your community is directly affected, then I think it’s really important to stand up for what you believe in, even if you’re not making any necessarily direct impacts,” Weiss said. “Coming together as a larger community and supporting a cause that’s really important to so many of us was really eye-opening.”

Camila said this topic is especially personal to her because she grew up in a predominantly Latine community, which she said has been impacted by the increased amount of ICE raids.

“Just to see my neighborhood — it used to be so full of light. And every single holiday you would see everyone just gathered together,” Camila said. “Lately, since last year, 2024, everyone has just been scared to be outside, scared to show who we are. We’re just scared to go outside, scared to even see each other, to even go to the store. And with a bunch of people close to me, I know they’re scared for their life, and I would hate to go see them be torn away from the family that they built, from the life they built here.”

When the students returned to campus, they began playing Bad Bunny songs on a speaker and danced on the front veranda. Students then made their way onto the front lawn and organized themselves into one large huddle, singing “This Land Is Your Land,” by Woody Guthrie.

“A bunch of people agree with the reason that it’s not a political debate anymore. It’s more like human rights, and I feel like them having a knowledge on what is actually happening, and not just ‘Oh, immigration is bad,’ and just having that one mindset,” Camila said. “A lot of the people I’ve talked to know what is happening beneath everything, and knows the history and all that. I think that really helped them come together as one.”