Cleveland High Students in Rio Rancho Protest ICE, Trump Policies

A group of Cleveland High School students staged an off-campus protest on Cleveland Heights Road Northeast to oppose President Donald Trump's policies and the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The demonstration, held after school on Jan. 21, drew students with handmade signs and brought national immigration debates into Rio Rancho's daily commute.

Junior organizer Danita Sandoval led the demonstration, standing with peers and a sign reading, "STOP PRETENDING YOUR RACISM IS PATRIOTISM! NO ICE!" Sandoval said she wants students engaged in politics and called on her classmates to speak up. "I know there's (a) bad (side), but there's a better side, and everyone should be a part of that side," Sandoval said. "That's what I'm trying to show and preach here. I need more people to not be scared to put themselves out there."

Students positioned themselves on both sides of the road, waving placards that included messages such as "Abolish ICE!" and "NO KINGS! NO DICTATORSHIP!" The demonstration coincided with the national "Free America Walkout," organized by Women's March, which called for walkouts on the one-year anniversary of Trump's second term. The local protest linked national controversies over immigration enforcement to concrete concerns among Sandoval County families.

The students cited recent abuses attributed to ICE as a key motivator. Sandoval referenced the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis during a confrontation with an ICE agent and pointed to video evidence as part of her critique. "Many people say that it was her fault, but it was not, we have the video evidence," Sandoval said. Senior Adrianna Esparza, participating in her first protest, said she was driven by Good's death and ICE's conduct both nationwide and in New Mexico. "(They're) being violent, detaining people without due process, and it's been happening for a long time, but right now, it's really reaching a climax, and we think that it's just something that should not be happening," Esparza said.

The demonstration carried personal stakes for some students. Esparza said a family member of one of her friends was deported by ICE over "a minor charge when they were young," a memory that informs her sense of vulnerability. Students kept chanting and cheering even after buses and cars left the school parking lot. Drivers responded with a mix of support and curiosity; some honked in approval, and one driver rolled down his window and said, "That's what I'm talking about!"

Beyond politics, the protest underscores community health and equity concerns. Deportation and aggressive immigration enforcement can fracture families, disrupt health care access, increase stress and trauma for children, and erode trust between immigrant communities and local institutions. For Rio Rancho residents, those effects translate into practical worries about medical care, school stability, and public safety.

As Cleveland High students continue to organize, their actions signal sustained local engagement with national policy. For neighbors and officials, the protest is a reminder that immigration enforcement is a lived, local issue that affects schools, clinics, and families across Sandoval County.