On Friday, hundreds of Ohio University students joined protestors around the country in an effort to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis. Friday’s walkout was part of a nationwide movement to protest the inhumane actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, in cooperation with Minnesota’s “ICE Out” day.
The day was initially created in Minnesota as a general strike, a work stoppage across multiple industries, which is very rare in modern times, as it is typically hard to organize across companies. Yet, Minnesota did, and many states and cities nationwide joined in solidarity.
In Minneapolis, over 480 businesses closed their doors in support of the general strike. Hundreds of other protests ensued across the country, as citizens called for protection and change.
The day was intended to be a day of nonviolent reflection in response to the violence ICE perpetrated, as well as the killing of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE officer. A day after the protest occurred, Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis.
A licensed pediatrician in Minnesota who was at the scene described the terrible treatment of Pretti during the incident to CNN, “Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the (federal immigration) agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.”
After brutal killings and deportations of undeserving people, it’s apparent now more than ever that the avenue for change is not coming from the Trump Administration; they are encouraging and promoting the presence of ICE and mass deportations. The American Immigration Council describes this as the “most extreme tactics.”
In Athens, around 350 students came out to College Green to join Minneapolis, a part of the same movement to tell the university, the state and the nation, ICE is not welcome in Athens or anywhere in our country. Students called for campus protection from agents and communication from the university, including a petition with six demands for OU.
According to a previous report by The Post, the Trump administration has deported over 605,000 people between Jan. 20, 2025, and Dec. 10, 2025.
When the American people exercise their First Amendment right to protest, they send a message to any and all who will listen. We are here, we have power guaranteed for us in our constitutional rights and we need change, now.
Mass deportations are only continuing in 2026, and just this past week, 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken from his own driveway after arriving home from preschool. Ramos and his father were taken to a detention facility in Texas soon after. This event makes him the fourth student from his Minneapolis suburb to be detained by immigration officers.
When ICE officials decide a five-year-old is a critical threat, enough so to rip him from a running car, there are not only problems in our country, but there is poison in our streets and it takes human form in ICE agents.
Students in Athens exercised their right to protest and made it clear to everyone that ICE is not welcome here, and the actions displayed on the national stage by agents are appalling. One student held a sign that displayed a quote from Thomas Jefferson, “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.”
Protests are the heartbeat of democracy. They require the courage to see injustice, name it as wrong and take action in pursuit of change. This is something the Trump administration, instead of calling for change, has only promoted the harmful actions of ICE agents across the country. In fact, ICE has become the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency, with a budget of $85 million.
We as Americans have earned the ability to walk in our streets, neighborhoods and schools united together. Through differences and similarities, we share an identity as human beings and the treatment of human beings across the nation by federal workers is inhumane, vile and disgusting.
To hope for change is to sit by while we watch cruelty continue to plague us. We must use our voices, as well as our rights, to push for the change we want to see. It begins with us, as students and young people, to truly ignite the change we desire and that starts on our campus.
If your neighbors are not safe from violence, racial profiling and harm, no one is safe. We as Americans must continue to send a message to the federal government that they have failed us, and the horrible tragedies and treatment of everyday folks must be halted at once.
The Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage. Have thoughts? The Post can be reached via editor@thepostathens.com
