On Tuesday, Jan. 20, a group of Case Western Reserve University students organized a local “Free America Walkout” in solidarity with the national movement protesting against recent actions taken by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
The national walkout, spurred by the recent fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer, aimed to demonstrate and raise awareness of civilian discontent with the agency’s immigration enforcement tactics. Zoë Wagner, a fourth-year CWRU student and organizer of the demonstration, stated the group’s purpose.
“We’re out here to show solidarity, both [with] the people of Minneapolis, high school students in Minneapolis and across the nation who are experiencing particular violence from the state police force,” she said. “We’ve seen protests across the country erupt, in particular after the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. This obviously isn’t the first time ICE has killed anyone, but it generated a lot of momentum because of the publicity, so we want to be a part of that movement.”
Another organizer of the larger Cleveland movement, A.L., also shared their thoughts.
“I’ve been watching a pattern of authoritarian tactics—domestic military deployment, mass deportation raids, erosion of judicial independence—accumulate into something that demands more than individual outrage,” they said. “When we normalize authoritarian governance through silence, we surrender the very freedoms that make academic inquiry, artistic expression and free press possible.”
The walkout involved students gathering along the Binary Walkway at 2 p.m. for initial chanting and a short speech by third-year student Thatcher Buck. Their chants included phrases such as “Walk Out! ICE out!” and “No hate! No fear! Refugees are welcome here!”
The protesters then made their way to Wade Lagoon near the Cleveland Museum of Art for more speeches, as well as coordination of carpooling and transportation to a larger rally at Market Square Park.
In a statement to The Observer, Buck, a Minnesota resident, called CWRU students to action.
“As we speak, ICE agents are ravaging communities across Minnesota. They don’t care about immigration status, resorting to the kidnapping of US Citizens and legal migrants,” he said. “It no longer matters if you are a good citizen, if you put in your fair share, if you are woven into the fabric of your community … It doesn’t matter who you are, ICE is at your front door. They’re watching. They’re waiting.”
As a result of uncertainty surrounding how to navigate encounters with ICE, the American Association of Colleges and Universities released “ICE on Campus: What to Do,” a practical guide advising students to verify agent credentials, stay calm and document the interaction among other measures.
After the Jan. 20 protest, A.L. also invites students to participate in other activities outside of the walkout. They suggest that students focus on sustained contribution to one local issue, such as academic freedom, immigrant defense or housing justice. They also recommend becoming part of public service projects that make tangible impacts on immigrants in the area, including food distribution, Know Your Rights clinics and voter registration.
“This protest in particular is against ICE, not against [CWRU] administration, but we’d love to see more faculty, staff administrators out with us and supporting us and supporting our international students,” Wagner said.
In response to questions concerning the CWRU administration’s plans to prioritize student safety amidst concerns about ICE, a university spokesperson redirected The Observer to the Q&A linked in President Eric Kaler’s Jan. 12 welcome email, which was initially sent out Feb. 5, 2025.
CWRU continues to signal that community members should redirect outside agents to CWRU Public Safety or CWRU Office of General Counsel, and that, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, “the university will not release student data to anyone without a judicial subpoena.”
Kaler reiterated in his Jan. 12 email that “Our international colleagues and friends continue to be an essential part of the CWRU community.”