Students protest ICE with campus walkout

On Tuesday afternoon, students walked out of their classes to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the main quad.

Bea Barrier, a freshman from Hartselle, Alabama, organized the walkout and printed the signage seen around campus. Barrier said he was inspired by a walkout held by the University of South Alabama and decided to orchestrate one.

Kathryn Clark photo

Students gather, chant and speak during a walkout in protest of ICE.

Barrier announced the walkout anonymously on Yik Yak and pinned flyers around campus. He said the walkout was organized in response to concerns about ICE’s actions.

“There’s no lawful order,” Barrier said. “It’s like a militia in our streets, and no one seems to be doing anything about it.

“ICE agents walk up to someone just because they have brown skin and detain them. I haven’t seen it happen personally, but I’ve seen videos online.”

The walkout comes on the heels of Renee Good’s death, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, who was killed in Minneapolis Jan. 7 when an ICE officer fired into her vehicle.

It also came after the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care (ICU) nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis. He was shot and killed by federal agents Jan. 24 during an immigration enforcement operation in the city.

President of the River Region Democratic Socialists of America Haley Morgan was also present at the walkout. Morgan works in healthcare and said she showed up to protest Pretti’s death.

“The death of Alex Pretti hit close to home,” Morgan said. “That could have been me if I was caught in the wrong situation.

“Protesting is especially important here – it’s the South. We should be allowed to protect our neighbors who are being murdered for just being brown.”

Faith Merrill, a locally known conservative influencer and sophomore political science major from Niceville, Florida, was in attendance. Merrill clarified she was not at the walkout to counter-protest, but to interview students for the media outlet “Off the Record USA.”

However, Merrill expressed her opinion of ICE and the deaths of Good and Pretti.

“I’m very pro-ICE,” Merrill said. “I don’t think it’s okay to have illegal immigrants here raping our women and bringing in drugs.

“When it comes to Alex Pretti and Renee Good, it’s tragic, I don’t want anyone to die. At the end of the day, if you are obstructing a federal officer, things are going to happen.”

After interviewing students, Merrill described how some of her conversations unfolded.

“I could scroll on TikTok for thirty minutes and find this exact protest,” Merrill said. “It’s all a bunch of one-liners.

“They like to bring up the fact that ICE doesn’t have warrants. I bring up the fact that ICE has administrative warrants.

“No one knows what that is here. That’s basic ICE knowledge.”

The walkout lasted roughly an hour before students returned to class. The display of free speech concluded peacefully, with no disruptions.