By Christine Garcia & Sofia Nguyen
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, students from Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) participated in a walkout and street protest along Talbert Avenue. The demonstration was organized in response to increased enforcement of border control by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and recent fatalities involving federal agents across the country.
The protest was organized by an anonymous student profile on Instagram, @fvbaronalerts. The account informed students about the time and the direction of the protest.
At about 12:50 p.m., students crowded the gate. Then, participants of the protest marched on the streets from Bushard Street to a nearby intersection and then back to FVHS. The walkout started at 1:00 p.m. and ended near the end of 5th period at around 2:00 PM. Students created handmade posters and signs that highlighted their opinions about ICE and the Trump administration.
This local protest was part of a broader movement, where walkouts occurred in several Orange County cities including Santa Ana and Garden Grove. A few weeks ago, Huntington Beach High School students walked out to the pier for similar reasons.
“I’m having a protest against ICE because ICE has separated so many communities and families,” junior Vivian Nguyen said. “[The] Trump Administration has been very cruel and has not been keeping up to their promises.”
In 2025, Fountain Valley and the broader Orange County area experienced increased federal immigration enforcement activities, including a notable raid at the Magnolia Car Wash in June, where seven employees were detained.
“I feel like it is cruel of ICE and they’re mistreating people that are doing no harm,” sophomore Audrey Cao said.
The protests were fueled by several incidents involving federal ICE agents — specifically enforcement and removal operations — that occurred in late 2025 and early 2026. According to Reuters, more than 400 judges across the nation ruled that 4,000 immigrants have been unlawfully detained and 20,000 are seeking a lawsuit. In February, the Trump Administration had confirmed over 68,000 immigrants hadbeen detained, which is a 75% increase in detainment since Trump took office.
Furthermore, the deaths of Alex Pretti, Keith Porter and Renée Good sparked nationwide calls for oversight on ICE due to evidence of excessive force.
FVHS staff and administration were notified about the protest beforehand, and they remained neutral regarding the political content of the protests. They followed standard protocol: students who left their classes were marked with unexcused absences.
“[Students] exercise their first amendment right … and we let students do that. In fact, I would prefer that they maybe get [together to] do something in the bowl,” Principal Paul Lopez said.
In addition, FVHS administrators informed the Fountain Valley Police Department about the protests; however, administrators did not track where the students were going. The protest did not cause any disruptions on campus or on the streets nor were there reports of injury. There are some concerns about student safety and potential disorder on campus in the case of another protest.
“What I don’t want to happen is that [the protest] becomes a disruption to the learning environment … [FVHS] will get community members or parents calling saying, ‘I want my kid in school,’” Lopez said.
While the administration didn’t choose a political stance, Lopez emphasized the importance of maintaining a unified campus despite differing political perspectives among the student body.
“The problem is we have students and families on both sides. We never want to have a division of our campus because of this kind of situation,” Lopez said. “I view us as a big family and a big team. No matter who we are, we support each other … because we all come from varying backgrounds … and I want us to be happy.”
After the walkout, organizers on @fvbaronalerts posted a story about a potential additional walkout on March 20.
