WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- Hundreds of students across the United States have been suspended or faced disciplinary action after walking out of class to protest intensified federal immigration enforcement actions, part of a wave of demonstrations that have spread from small towns to major cities this winter.
School officials in several states, from Virginia to Texas and Oklahoma, said they disciplined students for leaving campus without permission during coordinated walkouts that were intended to draw attention to the operations of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) and related federal actions. 
Administrators emphasized that consequences were tied to truancy and safety policies rather than the political nature of the protests.
In Virginia’s Prince William County, Prince William County Public Schools suspended 303 students at Woodbridge High School who left campus during a Feb. 13 walkout. 
The demonstration spilled into adjacent streets, prompting police to manage traffic and ensure public safety, officials said. The district described the suspensions as disciplinary measures for unexcused absence, not punishment for protest participation per se.
In San Antonio, roughly 30 students in the East Central Independent School District were suspended or excluded from extracurricular activities after joining protests in opposition to federal immigration enforcement. School authorities said their actions violated district codes, while some community members described the response as unusually strict. 
More than 100 students were also disciplined in Oklahoma after classroom walkouts, with local officials stressing that leaving school grounds without permission would result in sanctioned absences or in‑school suspension. 
Across multiple states, similar student-led walkouts have continued through February. In North Texas, more than 200 students from one high school marched to city hall to protest what they called federal immigration “crackdowns.” 
In Indianapolis, hundreds walked from their campuses in organized displays of opposition to ICE activities. The protests are part of a broader national wave of demonstrations and walkouts catalysed in part by recent fatal federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, in which two U.S. citizens were shot and killed during ICE actions earlier this year. 
That incident sparked widespread outrage and a national day of protest that saw students and community members take to the streets from California to New York. In Portland, Oregon, and other West Coast cities, students marched in the streets to voice their concerns about the impact of federal immigration enforcement on immigrant families and communities. 
The demonstrations included chants, homemade signs, and calls for changes to federal policies. Local authorities, school administrators and civil liberties
 advocates have offered different interpretations of the protests. 
Educators stress the need to maintain safe, orderly school environments, and warn of enforcement of existing attendance rules when students leave campus. Some community and advocacy groups argue that the movement reflects widespread frustration among young people over immigration policies that they view as overly punitive or destabilizing for families. 
While many walkouts have remained peaceful and returned to campus after short demonstrations, some incidents have required police oversight when protests extended beyond school property or into public thoroughfares. 
In one reported case, students in Cincinnati were involved in a disruptive incident in a retail store during a walkout, leading to police involvement and local condemnation of the behavior.
The protests have taken place amid broader political debate over immigration enforcement in the United States. City officials in major metropolitan areas including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York have enacted measures to restrict ICE access to public spaces and have sought legal avenues to monitor or limit federal activities, citing concerns about civil liberties and community impact.
The national discourse has also seen tensions between federal and local authorities escalate, with some municipal leaders criticizing what they describe as heavy-handed tactics, and others affirming federal authority over immigration matters. 
As student activism continues into 2026, policymakers and community leaders are grappling with how to balance enforcement, civil liberties and student rights in schools across the country.