“No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” reverberated across Campus Point Drive as Preuss students marched along the sidewalk in front of the school Tuesday morning. Cars passing by honked in approval, met by large cheers from the crowd.
On March 3rd, students gathered at 9:00 am to share personal stories before marching until roughly 11:30 am. The demonstration drew nearly the entire high school, making it the largest organized protest in recent Preuss history.
The walkout came amid Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement mission that deployed thousands of ICE agents to Minnesota. Beginning December 2025, the operation generated national attention after ICE illegally detained protestors, and further backlash after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents.
The walkout was organized by Julian Gomez (‘28) after hearing about a close friend’s experience with ICE, seeing other San Diego schools host their own protests, and joining Union del Barrio, a community organization focused on immigrant rights.
“Why haven’t we done one as probably the most diverse and politically active school in San Diego?” Gomez questioned.
The December teacher strike also inspired him. “I really loved that sentiment and spirit from the teachers during their strike. I know we can have this for students.”
Weeks before the event, Gomez approached teachers, who signed statements supporting the walk out. He then promoted the walkout during lunch, handing out booklets about knowing your rights and collecting signatures from students who wanted to participate. Students spread the word, building momentum across campus.
Due to the prevalence of Gaza demonstrations in universities, UCSD implemented restrictions on protests that limited what organizations under the university can officially support, according to Gomez. Administrators encouraged his cause but could not promote it as a school event. Ultimately, the event was successful.
“I was originally hopeful we would get 100 [participants],” Gomez said. “We actually ended up getting almost 300.”
Aabha Timalsina (‘28), a Preuss student attendee, came to support friends and neighbors.
“A lot of my friends are immigrants, so their fear regarding ICE is something I can understand,” he said. “I also live in a neighborhood where there’s many immigrants, so I also wanted to support my community.”
Around twelve students spoke at the megaphone, sharing personal stories and concerns. Gomez handed out posters and signed participants in. Students chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, ICE has got to go” and “The youth united will never be divided,” as they marched along the sidewalk.
For Aabah, hearing classmates speak expanded his perspective.
“We hear about ICE, but it never happened to me or anyone I personally knew, so it felt far away until they shared their stories,” he reflected. “I had no idea there were some people at Preuss who actually had their family members taken.”
The walkout was part of a broader wave of student activism across San Diego, with High Tech High, Clairemont High, Torrey Pines High, and Lewis Middle School also holding demonstrations.
In one of the closing speeches to the crowd, Aabah emphasized that the demonstration was just a beginning.
“This walkout is great, but this doesn’t have to be the final and only thing,” he told his classmates. “We can continue using our voices.”
