Gallatin High Students Stage Walkout to Protest ICE Raids Amid Sharp Campus Divide

On May 1, 2026, the lawn outside Gallatin High School became a battleground of competing political passions as students staged a walkout to protest the Trump administration’s escalating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Around 50 students gathered, brandishing signs with slogans like “Education not deportation” and “I like my ICE crushed,” voicing sharp opposition to what they called an “illegal organization” deporting people without cause.

Senior Brodey Beehler, whose grandmother hails from Tijuana, Mexico, spoke for many when he condemned ICE’s actions as unjustified and cruel. Beehler also shared how his year studying abroad in Spain coincided with Trump’s 2024 election victory, during which he faced ridicule as an American. “We’ve become a laughingstock,” he said bluntly.

The walkout was spearheaded by fellow senior Charlotte Haslam as part of her senior project, aiming to rally like-minded peers in a student body she described as deeply divided. Indeed, the protest drew counter-demonstrators sporting red caps and supporting the administration’s immigration crackdown, underscoring the polarized climate even within this Montana high school.

This local protest reflects a broader national backlash against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, which have sparked widespread resistance from young activists and communities nationwide. Gallatin High’s walkout is a vivid example of how the administration’s policies are igniting civic engagement and fierce debate among the next generation.

As ICE continues its raids, students like those at Gallatin High are making it clear they will use their voices to challenge what they see as an attack on immigrant rights and democratic values. Their actions demand attention and accountability in an era marked by rising authoritarian overreach.