Colorado high school students plan statewide walkout to protest ICE

Students from more than 200 high schools across Colorado plan to walk out of school Friday afternoon to protest federal immigration enforcement.

Participating high schools span the entire state, but students in the Denver area will gather for a larger demonstration at La Alma-Lincoln Park in Denver at noon.

“Students across Colorado are standing together and walking out to demand that our communities are treated with dignity, safety, and respect,” organizers with the Colorado Youth Coalition wrote on social media this week. “This isn’t just one school. It’s students from across the state coming together and saying ENOUGH.”

Melat Kiros, who defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District in June, will attend the demonstration at La Alma-Lincoln Park, student organizers announced Thursday.

ICE has arrested and deported thousands of immigrants across the U.S. since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 as part of his mass deportation scheme, which ensnares immigrants who lack permanent legal status. While the Trump administration has said those efforts target criminals, many of those arrested do not have criminal records, only civil immigration violations.

This is a developing story and will be updated.