Students walk out of Cape Coral high schools in protest against ICE

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

Hundreds of students from Mariner High School and Ida S. Baker High School in Cape Coral walked out of class just after noon Thursday.

"I feel upset that ICE has to use, like, really brutal force on anybody," said Jonathan Cervantes, a sophomore at Mariner High School. "We're not animals, we're for peace ... We just want to be here."

"They're killing people who aren't even illegal," said Delilah Rivera, a freshman at Mariner High School. "It's stolen land, so nobody could be illegal."

Students from Ida Baker High School took their protest onto the school's football field after filling the hallways during the seventh and eighth periods. However, some students chose not to participate, fearing trouble with the schools. Back at Mariner, students said some kids left campus and were doing burnouts in the parking lot.

"They were pushing past all the security guards and stuff," Rivera said. "People were getting in cars and leaving."

Shalya Garced was across the street and recorded a video of the students gathered outside of Mariner High, eventually hopping the fence to get to Chiquita Boulevard.

"As a parent myself, I would be uncomfortable that a protest would be happening on school grounds during a school day. I don't find it appropriate," Garced said. "Now, if it was after school hours, you know, maybe on the perimeter, then I wouldn't have a problem with it."

A school district spokesperson stated that while they respect students' First Amendment rights, any students who disrupt instruction or operations on campus will face consequences.

"While we recognize their constitutional rights to free expression, our schools exist for one primary purpose: education," School District of Lee County spokesperson Rob Spicker wrote in a statement. "Behaviors that interfere with instruction or the safety of others will not be tolerated. Any student who violates district standards will be disciplined in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

A Mariner High School student mentioned off-camera that they plan on walking out again Friday.

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