LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Building on a number of protests we first told you about on Wednesday, students in Las Vegas are marching against ICE.
RELATED | CCSD students who participated in ICE protest walkouts share why they demonstrated
The first day of protests saw hundreds of students participating in walkouts, telling us they planned to do so in protest of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Minnesota and here in Las Vegas.
WATCH | What the first day of high school student-led protests looked like
On Thursday, we're tracking at least three additional demonstrations as they unfold across the city.
A sizeable group of students from Western High School marched from their school to Meadows Mall, chanting "keep ICE off our streets."
Students tell Channel 13 they did not walk out of school around lunch time Wednesday along with several other Clark County School District students, so they chose to walk out Thursday.
They say CCSD staff did not stop them from walking out. They marched starting near Meadows Mall all the way back to Western High. Students say they feel passionate about making their voices heard about ICE and wanted to be more visible to people in the community.
"We decided to protest today with everybody who came out and showed out in support of the immigrants and the people who built this country," said Sayuri Hernandez, a Western High student.
"I want people to be here because I want people to recognize the fact that a family are being separated. I do agree that we do need to get the bad immigrants out of here, but the good immigrants, they do need to, the good immigrants to stay here and they need it. They want to protect their families. I know a lot of people that have immigrant families that came here to get a better life," said Kimberly Ruiz Amador, a Western High student.
WATCH | The second day of student-led anti-ICE protests
Metro and CCSD police followed the students to make sure they stayed along the sidewalk and not in the road. We did not see anything get out of hand during their demonstration.
School staff were outside Western High earlier Thursday but they did not interfere with any of the protesting. In a statement Wednesday, CCSD said they do not check the immigration status of any of their students.
An LVMPD source shared with us that around 50 high-schoolers were seen protesting in the area of Hollywood Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, "protesting ICE and throwing items at vehicles." We are making our way to the area to learn more.
According to an Instagram message sent to Channel 13, students at Mater Academy East Campus participated in a similar walkout on Thursday.
Social media fuels valley protests
Social media platforms helped fuel the massive anti-ICE protests at schools across the country this week, including right here in our valley.
Diego Vega is a student at Rancho High School. He is one of hundreds of students who participated in an anti-ICE walkout at more than a dozen schools across our valley Wednesday.
"Being Mexican-American, it's obviously terrible what is happening to our people. If you stand around and do nothing, you might as well be complying with what is going on," Vega said.
He tells us the demonstration started after flyers began circulating on social media. He says about 300 students walked out at his school alone.
"There's a sense of unity that we feel the same way," Vega said.
Cheyenne High School students we spoke with Wednesday also tell us the demonstration started online after similar posts surfaced about the walkout. From there, it seems to have jumped to other campuses across the valley.
"To be out here, even if it's small, it's speaking," said one student.
Benjamin Morse is a lecturer at UNLV's School of Journalism and Media Studies. He tells us social media makes it possible for demonstrations like these to come together quickly, sometimes within hours or just days of the event.
"Social media has always been a way to organize movements. I think more than anything, when you look at the age of the students involved in the ICE protests, it's natural because this is how they can communicate," Morse said.
"It's a much quicker process now than it was in the past," Morse said.
Morse explains that for many kids, social media can be a more powerful influence than a political leader or public figure.
"Social media, if we are using it correctly, and a lot of people don't, is exposing you to all different sides of an issue. It gives you the capabilities to make thoughtful decisions," Morse said.
Just like the protests we saw Wednesday, the demonstrators left as soon as school let out.
Have you seen a protest in your area? Reach out to us at ktnv.com/letstalk to tell us more.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
