Cascade students walk out to protest ICE, Trump administration

LEAVENWORTH — Hundreds of Cascade students walked out of their classrooms to protest the actions of the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on Jan. 20.

“We’re the generation that is growing up in this world that these politicians are creating for us,” said co-organizer and Cascade High School student Cooper Krejci. “If we don’t speak up about what we want and what we think is right, then we are not going to live in the world that we want to live in.”

The student protest was organized by Krejci and fellow student Lane Bedard, joining a national movement dubbed “Free America Walkout” to protest President Donald Trump on the anniversary of his second inauguration.

“This [protest] was focused on ICE and immigration enforcement — not in that they're trying to enforce immigration, but more so the way it's being carried out,” said Bedard, citing concerns about violence, racial profiling and the arrest of legal U.S. citizens. “There are ways to enforce our borders and security without this profiling and violence.”

Bedard said he was also motivated by frustration with political messaging he sees circulating online, particularly geared toward young people, and by federal rhetoric he believes falsely portrays all immigrants as dangerous criminals.

“The narratives that are being pushed saying they're all these violent, hateful people—they're untrue. They're spreading this divide between people in our country, and it's just spreading this fear and this hate that shouldn't be there, and that's a big drive at least for me,” said Bedard.

While Bedard and Krejci were unsure what to expect, the level of participation was surprising. They estimated over 200 middle and high school students walked out that afternoon.

“Everybody was just up for it,” said Krejci. “I think people are seeing what’s happening…and people were just waiting for a reason to help out.”

Though most participants are not yet old enough to vote, Krejci said the walkout demonstrated that students still feel a responsibility to speak out.

“I hope this helped people gain the confidence to do more,” added Krejci. “That it inspires people to take more action.”

Together, the students walked through town, where they joined a separate group of adult protestors at Lions Club Park. Community members who were clued into the student demonstration provided drinks and snacks in support.

“As a parent I have to say, I am very proud of my son and Lane and especially of our community of young adults. Whether the grown adults in our community agree with the reasons they chose to stand for or not, these kids organized themselves and stood for something with passion and respect," said Jamie Krejci.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media