Students Stage Walkouts at Multiple Buncombe County High Schools Against ICE
“If things had gone a worse way, I probably could have been deported,” senior Adrian Rovers said as more than 100 T.C. Roberson students marched down Long Shoals Road in an anti-ICE protest.
Adrian Rovers, a senior at T.C. Roberson High School, told fellow students the walkout mattered because “if things had gone a worse way, I probably could have been deported. This means a lot to me because that’s my people that are threatened. And it’s not just one group, it’s everyone.” WLOS reported more than 100 students left class shortly before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, marched roughly 1.5 miles down Long Shoals Road toward Biltmore Park and gathered at the intersection of Long Shoals Road and Schenck Parkway.
Local coverage described students carrying homemade signs and national flags while standing along what 828newsNOW called “one of South Asheville’s busiest intersections.” WLOS published a photo of a student waving an upside-down American flag during the protest, and 828newsNOW’s photos by Pruett Norris show dozens of participants lining the roadside as drivers passed. Both outlets reported many drivers honking in support.
Chants at the T.C. Roberson march included “No justice, no peace, no racist police” and the profanity-laden slogan printed by 828newsNOW as “F– ICE! F– Trump!” Students’ materials were described as handmade by WLOS, and 828newsNOW listed the march route and the mile-and-a-half distance from the school to Schenck Parkway.
Parents were on site. Amy Bondzeit brought water and snacks and said she wanted students to stay safe: “Some of these kids came here hungry. I’m here to support them, make sure they’re hydrated and that everyone is safe.” Bondzeit also said, “They can’t vote, of course, but this is their way of using their voices.” WLOS noted that “Gerwitz said students are leaning on each other for support,” though that account used only the surname in published coverage.
WLOS’ Instagram account reported a separate action “this morning,” saying “About 200 students at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville held a walkout this morning, gathering for a peaceful protest against ICE and recent immigration enforcement by the Trump administration.” Local reporting also links back to an earlier Jan. 30 action when Asheville High School students participated in the nationwide National Shutdown, walking out of class and gathering on the school’s front steps with protest signs.
Public reaction on WLOS social posts was brisk: the station’s Facebook post about the T.C. Roberson walkout logged 8,800 reactions, 7,100 comments and 397 shares. Top Facebook comments included Sherry Diehl’s: “Our young people are trying to tell us they care, want to be involved and heard. That's an important lesson to learn at a young age.” WLOS’ Instagram thread showed a range of responses from usernames such as nikkitown — “Great job, kids!” — to suzannebarkley — “Woke grooming at it’s finest.”
No arrests, citations or school disciplinary actions were reported in the local coverage supplied. Reporters noted the protests are part of a nationwide National Day of Action targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and related federal enforcement policy, and that the walkouts add to a string of student-led demonstrations in Asheville in recent weeks.
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