On February 4, 2026, approximately 500 students at Fort Collins High School walked out to protest against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Gillian Klein, a senior at Fort Collins, says, “This represents unity to me, because everyone’s coming together for one sole purpose, because something is very often wrong with our government, and we need to unify”. 

ProPublica reports about ICE agents using excessive force on people.‘Operation Metro Surge has led to protests multiplying in response to federal agents’ presence in various cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland, and Washington D.C where ICE agents have smashed car windows, pointed their weapons at civilians, and taken people to the ground. Many deaths have been reported, recorded, and posted online. NPR also reports on ICE tactics and the fear people have. 

According to Fox4News, CBS News, and many other news sources that have reported these protests, they happen all around the world. A Fox4news article reports on North Texas students walking out of class to protest ICE and states “students say it is their way of expressing their frustrations with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”. 

When asked what the goal of the walkout was, a senior, Brighlee Reynoso, said, “I think it represents the change that needs to happen.” 

About a week before the walkout, an Instagram post was shared announcing when it would take place. Students at Fort Collins then took it upon themselves to spread the word by talking with others, reposting it on social media, and creating posters. 

A senior at the walkout, Chloe Wilson says, “I just heard about it through social media, and I feel like I spread the word, and I think it’s just something important for me”.