Over 100 San Marcos High School students walked out of their classrooms at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, in opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

The walkout came four days after a national movement opposing ICE.

Students said the idea sparked on social media after witnessing the “success” of walkouts across the country and near San Marcos. Alex Upton, a SMHS sophomore, said she first heard of the walkout on Feb. 2 through multiple social media posts. 

“This is the perfect time to show how much it actually matters. Nobody is illegal on stolen land. We’re all immigrants somewhere in our line,” Upton said. “I don’t think this is right. Nobody should be treated this way.”

During a Feb. 2 walkout in Buda, an altercation broke out between an adult man and a group of minors, according to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra. “Video circulating from the scene appears to show an adult confronting students with visible hostility, followed by an escalation that resulted in physical contact involving a minor,” Becerra wrote in a press release. An arrest has since been made, according to the Buda Police Department.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD sent an email to families on Feb. 2, encouraging them to speak with their students about the walkout. The email stated that any student who left campus without authorization would receive an unexcused absence and would not be permitted to return to campus for the remainder of the school day. 

“San Marcos CISD values student voice … however, there is a time and place for these actions,” the email read. “Events such as walkouts during the school day cause significant disruption to instruction and may create safety concerns for students and staff. We encourage families to speak with their students about making responsible choices and understanding the consequences of their actions.”

Students were unfazed by these warnings. Sam Berry, a SMHS student, said the walkout was bigger than being counted absent from class.

“This is too big of a cause to be worried about your perfect attendance or to be worried about UIL or whatever. We need to stand up,” Berry said. “If you’re gonna not [participate] because they say you can’t, then open your eyes.”

The students walked for over an hour, along East McCarty Lane and passing under I-35, until they reached the Stone Creek shopping center. Students lined up along the I-35 frontage road near Sonic, holding their signs and chanting. They were met with an abundance of honks from passing cars. 

“This protest helps symbolize how [immigrants] crossed over here to the states because I know a majority of them walked across. That’s how my grandpa made it,” Destiny Turribiartes, a SMHS sophomore, said. “It’s good that we’re trying to make a change. We’re putting in effort.”