Editor’s Note: Last week, I received an email from Skye Cervantes, a senior at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove. Like so many Americans, she’s had it with the unlawful actions taken by ICE from the violent protest in Santa Ana last week and the murder of a mother in the Twin Cities. So she’s leading a protest on Tuesday and other high schools throughout Orange County and greater Southern California ought to follow her lead.
The essay below is her work; she’s promised me a report from the walkout itself later this week. It’s people like Skye that give me hope for this country’s future.
At my school, I’m known as the “woke” girl.
People find my passion for political change exasperating. I find these notions strange, since my peers and I are only a few months away from being able to vote, a direct involvement in politics. My passion for social justice began in 2020, after George Floyd’s murder sparked worldwide fury and spotlighted the Black Lives Matter movement. Just outside my door, I watched as protestors marched down my street, encouraging others to advocate for change. This crucial moment made me realize that using our voice can make a difference in the world. A flame was ignited in me after being exposed to the appalling injustices that occur in our country. Ever since then, I became infatuated with political action and social justice.
In my sophomore year, I founded Mariners for Social Justice, a club dedicated to educating students about current issues. Through this club, we have created an inclusive community that promotes civic action. Some of our previous events include a voter registration initiative and a letter to your senator workshop. I’m also on the board of two other clubs on campus, the National Honor Society and the National Alliance for Mental Illness, which help me stay involved in my community by providing volunteering opportunities. Outside of school, I’m an active participant in Girls Inc. of Orange County. I’ve even served on the Girls Inc. National Brand Ambassador board, an opportunity that I will cherish forever. Throughout my four years of high school, my passion for social change has grown stronger. I’ve become bolder, finding ways to step out of my comfort zone and inspire others to fight for what’s right.
Nearly one year into the Trump Administration, I’ve noticed an alarming shift in our culture. Marginalized communities, like undocumented immigrants and transgender individuals, have been painted as the “enemy from within.” Our country is beginning to turn on each other, normalizing hateful rhetoric that promotes violence and aggression. With the increase in ICE raids, I have seen firsthand how my community has been torn apart. Southern California, specifically Orange County, has been the target of countless ICE raids. Every day, masked men arrive in unlabeled trucks, kidnapping residents and sending them to mysterious detention centers. Many of them are flown across the country without any sort of due process, raising alarms about the constitutionality of this process. My local car wash on Chapman was raided three times this past year. I used to walk there in the summer with my dad, watching these hard-working men polish our family car while I sat inside with the AC. Now, they’re all missing.
What concerns me is that the people that ICE is detaining are nowhere near the criminals that the administration is painting them out to be. They are laborers, family, friends, and children. Data from the Cato Institute shows that 73% of ICE detainees have no criminal convictions whatsoever. ProPublica reports that 170 U.S. Citizens have been detained by immigration enforcement. I spent a whole semester in AP Civics studying the Constitution just to find out that all of a sudden it doesn’t apply to ICE officers? Clearly, these immigration officers do not care about violating the law. Their goal is to meet the insanely high demand of daily arrests, which is encouraging them to violate the Constitution and target anyone who isn’t white.
We the people are pissed. This is why, along with a group of friends, I am hosting a peaceful walkout at Pacifica High School on January 20th at 2:00 pm. We are tired of seeing our neighbors disappear and pretending like it’s normal. We are tired of seeing inflation rise, knowing that in a year or two, we will be paying the cost. We are tired of seeing our government funds go to war instead of programs that will help us survive. At 2:00 pm, we will walk out of our classes and march to the intersection of Knott and Lampson. We will be stationed on the public sidewalk, so others are encouraged to join us.
Recently, we have faced harassment from ignorant students trying to put us down, but we know that love can drown out the hate. We hope you will join us in fighting for a Free America.
Skye Cervantes
Pacifica HS | Class of 2026
The principal at Pacifica has issued a statement discouraging kids from participating in the walkout. That person fails a history lesson about massive high school student walkouts in the wake of California’s Pro 187 ballot measure that targeted latinos in the state. The contention is you walk out to protest the organization in which you’re attending — the school. They dont’ get it; ICE comes for kids in school and its patriotic for kids to defy school administrators the ability to protest. Read up on Prop 187 and march!