“Make it loud, make it clear. We don’t want you here.” Chants echoed through the streets in the neighborhood around Edison High as a student-led anti-ICE protest marched to the Edison Municipal Complex. The event, which took place on February 5, was organized through the Instagram account @Edison.Protest and included over 100 student participants. It took place on a half-day, after school instructional hours, while staff attended a previously planned professional development session.

Since the start of February, an anti-ICE movement has been taking place in New Jersey high schools. Through an anonymous Instagram account, an EHS student drew inspiration from a neighboring event at Plainfield High School. The account rapidly gained followers, and the owner had to explain the walk’s purpose and the value of non-violence.

Students at Edison High School responded to the news that a student-organized protest was scheduled to occur after school on February 5, 2026. In response to the protest, the school administration sent through ParentSquare that “Keeping our students safe is our top priority,” and that it worked with the Edison Police Department to ensure that, if students chose to participate, they “remained as safe as possible.”

Student participants met in the Senior Lot, holding both signs to express their sentiments towards alleged ICE injustice and flags to represent their cultural heritages.

“I keep reading news articles about people dying, people getting seriously hurt. People are having their family members ripped away. Kids. And I was like, I have to do something. Even if I can’t make a big change, I have to do something,” said Olive Jimenez ‘26.

On this 24-minute walk to the Edison Municipal Complex, these different groups of kids and ethnicities came together to stand up for the same reason. Their frustration grew into a collective movement, even including students who had never spoken out before.

“I’ve never done a protest before,” said Storm Brooks ‘27, “because personally I was scared. But after seeing how many people came together so fast to make a difference, I just knew I had to be a part of it.”

With this walk-out, Edison High students created a platform to address real-world conflict and engage in democratic responsibility, imparting their own social commentary on a national problem.

“This protest showed that there are kids who care about morals, they care about life, and they care about human beings and not just about somebody’s status,” said Keia Smith ‘26.

Protestors’ intention seemed clear: It was not just about speaking out against what they saw as injustice, but rather about impacting their community and inspiring those around them.

“We, young people, are the way we can change our society, our government, everything that’s wrong in the government right now,” said Joaquin Sanchez ‘26. “We are the ones who can change it. We’re the next generation.”

The following day, Principal Mr. Charles Ross addressed the protest and those involved.

“Your voices were seen, and they were heard,” said Ross.

Just less than a week after the protest, state officials addressed the ongoing impacts of ICE agents. Not only was the protest’s impact seen on school grounds, but it was also a part of a movement that changed the entire state.

“Today, I’m taking action to protect New Jerseyans,” said Governor Mikie Sherrill. “First, I’m signing an Executive Order to ban ICE from launching actions from any state property.”

With Sherril’s post, tensions around ICE came to light throughout the state. In Edison, EHS protestors received both critical acclaim and immense backlash, further signifying the trend of polarized political parties. But, instead of using differences to divide and condemn, Ross wanted Edison High to use distinctions to unite and celebrate, and advocated for speaking out and sharing our individuality.

“You’re going to disagree with people,” he said. “Keep that positive love and go from there.”