Students from more than 180 schools across Colorado are expected to walk out of class Friday as part of a statewide protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, student organizers said this week.
The “ICE Out” protest is being organized by several advocacy groups, including the and 50501 Colorado.
“Students across Colorado are standing together and walking out to demand that our communities are treated with dignity, safety, and respect,” Colorado Youth Coalition organizers wrote on Instagram. “This isn’t just one school. Itap students from across the state coming together and saying ENOUGH.”
In Denver, protesters are set to gather at La Alma-Lincoln Park, 1265 Mariposa St., at noon.
Organizers on Wednesday said students at schools in Adams, Arapahoe, Alamosa, Boulder, Broomfield, Mesa, Morgan, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Garfield, Jefferson, Larimer, Montrose, Montezuma, Pueblo, Teller and Weld counties have signed up to participate in the walkout.
Mountain Vista High School senior Braeden Kieffer, 17, said he and his classmates in Douglas County also are protesting the use of Flock cameras in the community.
“Kids know what’s going on, but we have very few ways of demonstrating about it. So one of the few things we can do is protest, to show up and show out,” Kieffer said.
The walk out is not about trying to get out of class, he said, and it feels deeply personal, especially for students who are immigrants or whose parents are immigrants.
“From nationwide to the local level, we’re seeing people’s civil rights come under attack and seeing that the adults in power don’t seem very focused on resolving those issues,” he said. “It’s in the hands of us as kids and our very limited ability to make our voices heard.”
Denver, Jefferson County and Cherry Creek school districts did not respond to requests for comment about the walkouts. Friday is a vacation day on the Aurora Public Schools calendar, and there are no classes scheduled.
Spokesperson Randy Barber said the Boulder Valley School District is preparing for the likelihood of protests and walkouts at high schools. BVSD supports students’ right to free expression as well as those students who don’t want to participate, he said. During demonstrations, school workers focus on student safety and supervision along with minimizing disruption to normal school operations.
A similar ICE Out protest in January resulted in thousands of Colorado students and community members joining protests, and schools in Denver, Aurora, Commerce City and Glenwood Springs canceled or delayed classes because of a wave of teachers who called out of work.
Denver Public Schools previously challenged federal immigration policy when the district sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in February 2025 to keep immigration agents from arresting people in school buildings after the Trump administration rescinded a 2011 policy that prevented arrests in schools, churches and other places.
But Homeland Security later said its policy about sensitive locations had not fundamentally changed, and it published another policy on “” where immigration enforcement will generally not happen, including schools, hospitals, churches, community gathering and social service locations. DPS dropped the lawsuit in June 2025.
