Students at Desert Sunrise and Maricopa High Schools are organizing walkouts to protest national immigration enforcement, according to posts from a newly created Instagram account that began circulating this week.
The account, which made its first post Monday, calls for students to participate in peaceful demonstrations during the school day. One post attributed to an anonymous Desert Sunrise student urges others to join and share the message to increase participation.
“Join us for a peaceful walkout,” the post reads. “Follow and share to support, this can’t happen without you.”
Posts from the organizers indicate the Maricopa High School walkout is planned for Friday at 10 a.m., while the Desert Sunrise walkout is scheduled for Monday at 9:15 a.m.
The Desert Sunrise organizer told InMaricopa the effort grew out of frustration with watching national events unfold without a way to respond.
“As a high school student who’s been watching the news and seeing all of the social media posts surrounding recent events, I’ve been frustrated with feeling helpless in my own democracy,” the student said. “I feel a deep sense of empathy for those being impacted by recent events and I knew others also felt similar to how I do.”
The student said they decided to organize the walkout after realizing no one else had stepped forward.
“If nobody else was going to organize it, I knew I could do a good job,” the organizer said. “It’s important to bring awareness to what’s happening in our country and have a sense of unity despite the current political climate.”
The organizer said interest has grown quickly since the posts began circulating.
“I want there to be maximum turnout,” the student said. “I’ve heard a lot of people being interested in the walkout and I’ve had a generally positive response.”
Maricopa Unified School District officials sent a message to families late Tuesday warning about the potential walkouts and emphasizing student safety and attendance expectations.
“Our top priority remains the safety of our students,” Superintendent Dr. Tracey Lopeman said in the letter. “Students are safest when they remain on campus until regular dismissal.”
The district does not endorse the walkouts, Lopeman said.
Flyers circulating on social media describe the demonstrations as student-organized walkouts opposing immigration enforcement and calling for peaceful protest. The posts encourage students to gather at designated locations during school hours.
District officials said students who leave campus or class without permission during the school day will receive unexcused absences. Unexcused absences may limit a student’s ability to make up missed work and could affect academic progress, according to the district letter.
The district said it will not physically stop or confront students who choose to leave campus, but families will be notified of absences. Officials encouraged parents and guardians to discuss attendance expectations with their children.
Lopeman said the district encourages demonstrations to take place after school hours.
“We value student voice and encourage respectful and appropriate avenues for expression,” the letter stated.
The organizer acknowledged the district’s response in a social media post, writing that the consequences appeared limited to attendance marks.
“As the email says, they can’t do much more than mark you absent.”
The student said some peers have expressed concern about possible discipline, but that concern has not stopped planning.
“Of course, some people are worried about disciplinary action against them, but I’ve done my best to reassure people based on my knowledge of our First Amendment rights,” the organizer said.
The student added that some teachers have attempted to discourage the effort indirectly, without knowing the organizer’s identity.
“My main concern is showing support for others regardless of what the impact on me could be,” the student said. “To me, it’s worth it.”
District officials did not indicate whether additional security measures would be in place.
The planned walkouts place Maricopa schools among a growing number of Arizona high schools where students have organized demonstrations related to immigration enforcement.
![Members of Maricopa Little League girls 12U All-Star softball team celebrate their District 4 win on June 16, 2026. [Maricopa Little League]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260617-maricopa-little-league-1-300x225.jpg)
![Members of Maricopa Little League girls 12U All-Star softball team celebrate their District 4 win on June 16, 2026. [Maricopa Little League]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260617-maricopa-little-league-1-150x150.jpg)
40 Responses
Bunch or retards protesting ice going after criminals.
ICE doesn’t just go after criminals, bud. They’ve killed innocent people.
Name one “innocent” person killed by Immigration Agents. I haven’t seen that happen yet.
Alex Pretti, who was killed on January 24th in Minneapolis. He was already pinned to the ground by ICE, with his gun removed from him, when he was shot. There is a swath of video evidence that shows how Mr. Pretti did nothing wrong that would warrant him being killed.
New videos show Alex Pretti wasn’t peaceful with a gun at his hip, showing hostile behavior towards ICE after kicking out a tail light from an unmarked ICE vehicle. It doesn’t matter if the gun was taken from him, he still made the decision to interfere and should have known a gun wasn’t needed to protest, peacefully or not. We don’t have the official full story yet, but peaceful he was not.
While what you say has some truth to it, it also brings up something that I did not originally say. I had said that, “… Pretti did nothing wrong that would warrant him being killed,” and not that he was necessarily peaceful, though he was for the most part. The behavior that you mention had occurred 11 days prior to his murder, while I’m talking more so about the event on the day of his murder. Even then, what had happened on January 13th still would not have warranted his death.
One last note, Chief Brian O’Hara of the Minneapolis Police Department had said that Pretti had no criminal record. I’m saying this more so to show that Pretti was an innocent man, rather than it being said towards what you’re saying.
To your latest reply, which inmaricopa won’t let me comment to, bringing a gun to a protest is NEVER needed especially since he knows that ICE argents are armed. Even though the tail light incident happened before (which would be destruction of property), if Pretti didn’t bring a gun, ICE agents wouldn’t need to fire in the moment. Not all agents knew the gun was removed or if he was reaching or had an extra gun or even if he had no criminal record. The actions leading up to the agents firing when Pretti put himself in that situation wouldn’t have occurred if the gun was never brought to the protest. Although neither side is 100% innocent since one of the ICE agents started the conflict with other protestors, the gun was what ultimately escalated the situation.
To the “student”: Try sneaking across the border into Mexico and see what happens to you…they don’t believe the “No Human is Illegal” nonsense.
It might also help your point of view if you stop watching the MSM “news”.
Hey Gunner, notice how TAB intentionally doesn’t use your name but instead refers to you using a “common noun” in order to convey condescension and implied superiority?
That’s another good example of why TAB is a “flaming red asshole.”
And a Beta (because that’s what he’ll clap back with… yawn…)
Oh, and he’s old. Very old. #NeverForget #TABisOldAF”
I can see TAB using student to be vague like that, but I think he’s just referring to the anonymous student who is mentioned in the article rather than me.
Yeah, I don’t really bother reading his comments that closely but I did miss that for sure.
Funny how it was so on brand for him, though…
Look who crawled out of his wife’s rear end.
You know the beta who asked his wife “Honey, i’m a man, right?”
God, I wish…you have no idea…
Anyway, I’m sorry, CrazyPants, I’m struggling with this one. What are you trying to say? What’s the objective here? Am I supposed to feel weird about having a good marriage? Are you trying to shame me for how my wife feels about me? Is that it?
Did Mrs. tab leave you? Are you lonely???
It’s ok, little buddy. It’s gonna be OK. Hey, it’s time for meds! Let’s take our meds and then go to the common room for ice cream! Shhhhhh…. Mmmmmmm…
“The student” is the one mentioned in the article, you moron…I mean you highly educated beta….
To be fair, tab, I rarely finish reading what you write on here… it’s just not worth the quarter of a second of my time… but of course I am secure enough to admit when I make a mistake.
One thing I can be assed to clock is the time stamp on your comments, though.
I love how you respond and then stomp off for a couple hours and then come back with a real haymaker like “beta”…. *shivers*
Sounds like a lot fun! It’ll cause me a bit of problems, sure, but it’s nothing that I can’t make up.
With all do respect Gunner, the following appears to be true:
“If you are not a liberal at 25, you have no heart; if you are not a conservative by the time you are 35, you have no brain”.
Btw, BKM3992 is the head of NAMBLA in AZ, so beware….
due*
You are sooooooo insecure, tab, I love it… a man your age fighting with a high school kid…. amazing….plus your insults are better than Ambien… mmmmmmmmm…..
This means absolutely nothing. Genuinely.
Whether you agree or disagree with these actions, it is nevertheless refreshing to see young students take action in response to the existing social and political struggles of this nation.
Well and reasonably said.
So I’m guessing they are protesting the violent protesters right? There would be no violent if they let ice do their job and remove the violent criminals right??
Or am I crazy?
No, it’s protesting ICE.
I see, so violence is okay if you agree with it. Got it.
Never said the violent protesters were ok, so please don’t assume that I do. That goes for anyone, too. I do also believe that what you’re saying here is a strawman, but I could be wrong since I’m not too well versed on logical fallacies. I would like to learn more about them, though, but I digress. Either way, you’re trying to argue that because we don’t like one thing, it means we’re fine with the other. That has to be some sort of fallacy.
OK,take those days off of my school taxes.Do not pay staff,teachers,administrators etc for those two days as well.They have their too many days off now that are planned…..this is not.
This is great. I can’t wait to find out the names of the parents so they can be publicly called out. I’m sure those who are professionals will love to see their little darlings front and center on a web site with their parents names and employers listed.
Remember kids, the internet never forgets so you and your actions will be there for all to see forever.
What the actual fuck is wrong with you? Doxxing isn’t just sunshine and rainbows! And I thought the way TABS was acting was bad. Jeez.
Yeah kids, the Internet never forgets!
Just ask a J6er!!!
Nah, that was just a “day of love”!
Where was the outrage and protests when the City of Maricopa Police shot and killed Lawrence Knudsen who was unarmed. This man’s crime was holding a wallet. Will the students also be protesting that shooting? It’s probably more relevant to the City of Maricopa than fraudsters operating criminal enterprises in Minnesota.
1. what happened in Minnesota (and still is happening) is related to ICE, which is federal enforcement unlike the local enforcement of our city. I say this because it means that what happened with our local enforcement (emphasis on local) is not going to reach as far because it is more of a local matter. ICE, however, is a federal agency, so anything that it does will reach national news because it is a national matter.
2. I honestly never heard of what happened to Knudsen before. However, it doesn’t really sound like something that has been having multiple problems. Instead, it sounds more like a one time thing, if not just rare. Therefore there isn’t as much of a need to “protest” it compared to the multitude of things that ICE has been doing.
3. You completely ignored my reply to you up top about an innocent man that ICE killed, and instead decided to shift focus onto something else entirely. I find that a tad interesting. It’s also annoying since I’m trying to properly talk/argue only for my time to be completely wasted, but alas, such is life.
*makes popcorn* This young man is running circles around a bunch of very, very old men… puttin’ on a damn clinic! FROM THE PAINT!!!!
This is like watching the Harlem Globetrotters play the Washington Generals… or literally any NFL team play the Browns… (yes, I am mixing metaphors)
Where are my remarks? I don’t see them !
So I pay taxes to the schools to let kids do what they want now.
Uh, no? Schools never could force students to do everything.
JD, the “teachers get too many days off” line makes it obvious you’ve never spent a week doing the work. Teachers are grading, planning, calling parents, sitting in meetings, and carrying every bit of community stress that walks into their classrooms long after the bell rings. If you really want your “school taxes” back over this protest, you might start by cutting them a check for the unpaid hours, the classroom supplies they buy themselves, and the late nights they spend keeping other people’s kids safe.
Gunner’s argument has been clearer and more grounded than anything coming from the “just dox the kids” crowd. He’s trying to engage in good faith with people who treat students like props and schools like free daycare, while having no idea what it takes to run a campus or understand federal enforcement policy. There’s nothing impressive about sneering at teenagers who are actually engaging with what their government does and at the educators who will be left to clean up the emotional and academic mess after the headlines move on.
To the students and teachers: this is exactly what civic education looks like when it’s real. You show up, you take a stand, and you own the fallout instead of hiding behind slogans and anonymous rage. I’m glad kids in this city are willing to put their names and faces on what they believe, and I’m even more grateful for the teachers who will be there on Monday morning helping them sharpen their thinking instead of just telling them what to think.
Heart,you signed up for that profession knowing what it takes.So if you don’t like the hours run for school superintendent then you can work less hours and make ridiculous money.See problem solved for you!And I have several family members as teachers that love their profession and don’t complain about the hours,especially during all the days off!
The pedophiles, murderers, rapists, child sex traffickers, child pornographers, drug dealers, and gang members arrested and deported by ICE thank these dimwits for their support.
Wow, you show a complete misunderstanding about the protests.