On Mar. 9, 2026, Lexington High School students walked out of school in protest of the recent actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The walkout took place during I-block, where students met in the Quad at 1:15 p.m. and marched down Muzzey St toward Town Center before making their way down Worthen Rd back to school by 2:00 p.m.
Many cities, including Boston and the greater Boston area, have seen upticks in ICE activity. According to the American Immigration Council, the number of people being held in detention centers in the U.S. has increased by over 75% since President Trump took office, from roughly 40,000 to 73,000 people. This has been accompanied by public outcry over the often inhumane and unprocedural ways that ICE agents have gone about arresting and detaining immigrants.
“High schools across the country, especially in California and Mississippi, were protesting ICE, and that gave me a lot of hope, seeing so many teens like us that care about what’s happening in the world, and care about doing something about it,” said Layla Farnham, one of the organizers of the walkout.
Over 100 students attended the protest, as its timing during I-block was more accommodating for students who were worried about skipping a credited class.
“We felt it just made more sense because I-block is a universal thing, whereas everybody has certain things going on during other times in the schedule. The likelihood that people are going to skip class as opposed to skipping I-block is much less likely,” said Ayla ModirzadehMarch, another organizer for the walkout.
Many students held homemade posters while music played in the background as they marched. Some onlookers even honked their horns and cheered for the procession. Halfway through the walkout, marchers sang “This Land is Your Land” and engaged in many chants such as “we want ICE out!” Additionally, the Town and School Administration had been informed of the walkout, and Lexington police officers were in attendance to provide security.
“There are more of us than them, and I think people should remember the power of community, not just in the sense of togetherness, but also in a mindset. We have so much power when we move together, and we have so much power to fight back against these kinds of rises in authoritarianism and threats to democracy,” said ModirzadehMarch.
