Hundreds of students staged a walkout and demonstration at Montgomery Blair High School on Thursday to protest the reported deportation of a classmate.
Kyara Romero Lira, a 17-year-old junior at Blair, was among the organizers of the event.
Romero Lira, a contributor to La Esquina Latina, the Spanish language section for the school’s newspaper, Silver Chips, said she had been aware of the accelerated deportations taking place under President Donald Trump’s administration. She’s also the leader of a club at the school, Students for Asylum and Immigration Reform (Students FAIR).
But Romero Lira said when she learned that a student had been subject to removal, “It was very shocking, and very eye-opening to see a Blair student — someone I could have had a class with — be deported.”
The topic of immigration has been top of mind for many students at Blair, she said.
According to Montgomery County Public Schools data, 38% of the student population is Hispanic.
Romero Lira said now there’s an increased awareness about deportation actions.
“It could 100% affect your friend, your classmate. It can affect anyone around you, and you never really know because it’s something you don’t talk about out of fear because you don’t want someone to call immigration on you,” she said.
One of Romero Lira’s friends was supposed to speak at Thursday night’s walkout, but texted her the night before to back out.
“He told me that he didn’t feel safe and he didn’t feel comfortable. And it just kind of broke my heart to think that people don’t feel safe and don’t feel like they can speak out for what they believe in,” she said, choking back tears.
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Romero Lira said school officials had been very supportive of the student’s plan to demonstrate.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without the administration and teachers,” she said. “Everyone involved was focused on having a safe event. Safety was our No. 1 priority.”
Montgomery County Public Schools public information officer Liliana Lopez said in an email to WTOP, “MCPS supports students’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly and free expression.”
“We were pleased that the students participated in the walkout in accordance with this regulation,” Lopez added.
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