On Friday, February 6, 2026, at Quartz Hill High School, a student walkout drew a large group of students who left class and gathered at George Lane Park to protest recent immigration enforcement activity. During the protest, there were calls for protection for undocumented families in the Antelope Valley, and more broadly, our entire immigrant population.
Local coverage described the walkout as beginning shortly after 10 a.m. and attracting more than 200 students by mid-morning, with signs reading “Students Against ICE” and “Families Belong Together.”
Based on on-the-ground observations and interviews conducted by the QHHS Ubiquity, students were allowed to leave through the school’s front gate during the school day (around 10:30 a.m.) and marched from the campus to George Lane Park, where they demonstrated for roughly an hour before continuing along local streets to the area of Avenue L-10 and 50th Street West.
Student reporters said organizers repeatedly emphasized a safety-focused, peaceful protest and urged students to respect people with different views. During the march, students led chants such as “What do we want?! Ice out. When do we want it?! Now!” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” along with call-and-response chants expressing Latin American national and cultural pride. Traditional clothing and dance were also visible forms of cultural identity during demonstrations.
Ubiquity reporters also said that the march received mixed reactions from drivers and bystanders (including honking and supportive gestures as well as occasional hostile remarks). Local reporting similarly described supportive honks and some people stopping to record for social media.
In interviews conducted during the event, students offered several reasons for attending. Elora Kimura, a QHHS senior, said, “It’s important to show that it’s not just adults who care, getting children involved is great, it shows that the youth is able to mobilize, and in a few years able to vote.” Alexander Zamudia, a QHHS junior, said, “[We’re here] because ICE is unlawfully killing people and doing things outside of their jurisdiction. It’s just the start.” Jersey Cordoanm, another QHHS student, said, “People should not be getting taken away from their families for just living their lives.”
After the walkout began, Arjunana Paramesvaran, QHHS’ principal, distributed a message to the school community stating that the school “is fully committed to respecting our students’ First Amendment rights, including the right to protest peacefully,” while also warning about “potential risks to students who leave the campus while unsupervised,” and ending off his email that students’ attendance would be marked accurately for students missing assigned classes.
The Quartz Hill walkout occurred within a broader pattern of student-led demonstrations in the Antelope Valley. One local recap reported that “hundreds of students from across the Antelope Valley” walked out on February 6th, with demonstrations “from Littlerock to Quartz Hill and other areas.” It said students were motivated by reports of immigration enforcement activity that some feared could affect their families.
As legal and ethical debates continue over the controversial issue of immigration, our local students, as well as students across the nation, will continue to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest.
