Community Education

Peninsula students rally against immigration tactics

Posted on February 13th, 2026 By: Christina T Henry

Students from Peninsula High School held a walk-out Friday morning to protest ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activities under the Trump administration.

“I wanted to join this protest as an opportunity to help my community stand up against what’s happening right now,” said Angel Fane, as several dozen students gathered around the flagpole outside PHS for a march to the Purdy Spit.

Peninsula High School students protest near the Purdy Bridge on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice

Minnesota top of mind

Some protesters cited the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last month as a tipping point for their resolve.

“I feel really strongly about a lot of the things that our government’s been doing recently, and I wanted to show my support for the cause today,” said Sirus Hand-Peters. “I was already sort of against it, but with everything happening in Minnesota, that’s really like, whoa, that’s not alright.”

Federal immigration agents were deployed to Minnesota beginning in December with a surge of detainments and arrests that sparked protests nationwide. White House border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that the operation was winding to a conclusion, according to USA Today and other media. Several PHS students said, however, that Minnesota is still top of mind.

Props and pans

Fanning out at the intersection of Highway 302 and Purdy Drive, protesters waved signs with messages like, “The wrong ICE is melting. ICE Out!,” and “ICE = Government Sponsored Racism.” Others had pro-immigrant messages like, “Immigrants Built America.”

“No ICE. NO KKK. No Fascist USA!” they chanted amid a steady stream of traffic on and off the Purdy bridge. The protesters got mostly honks and flashing lights of support, along with a few middle fingers.

One counter-protester, senior Kevin Graf, stood apart from the crowd with a sign that read, “ICE are people, too.”

“Everyone’s a person illegal or not, but some people, they need to be deported if they’re committing like, heinous crimes against children,” he said.

A selection of signs from the Peninsula High School protest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice

The Trump administration says the primary targets of ICE operations are immigrants without legal status in the U.S. who are facing felony charges. However, CBS recently reported that less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE in the first year of Trump’s second term had charges or convictions for violent crimes.

Organizers urge peaceful protest

Organizers with the student-led @peninsulaactivism on Instagram had urged protesters to remain peaceful.

“People may yell profanities or flip you off. Please do not respond in any way,” said one post earlier this week. “Possible police presence. Don’t do anything that will get us in trouble.”

Katie Hutchinson, one of the organizers, said the turnout exceeded her expectations. The group held a similar protest on Feb. 2, and they tried to spread the word more broadly for the second walk-out, which was loosely coordinated with the walkout Friday afternoon at Gig Harbor High.

Peninsula High School students crowd the intersection near the Purdy Bridge for a protest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice

Calls for solidarity

Ashlee Hernandez, a sophomore, said she joined the protest on behalf of local immigrant families with members at risk of deportation.

“I am here to protest for the people who can’t speak up,” she said.

“I am here today to help bring our country back together, because we are not separate. We are one,” said senior Kelsey McCoy. “Love is stronger than hate. Love is stronger than power, and we need to fight for that. Abolish ice!”

“I’m out here for the community, and I’m out here for the cause,” said junior Izzy Seales. “No one’s illegal on stolen land, and this country belongs to the youth.”

A Peninsula High student holds a sign during a protest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice

Personal experience

Arianna Apostol’s family is Filipino and Japanese. Recently, her grandmother was briefly detained and questioned at a mall in Tempe, Arizona, she said.

“I’m here because I believe freedom is not for a race, it’s not for a skin color, it’s not for a personal demographic,” she said. “Freedom is meant for all. It is stated, it is known, it is a fact. No one is illegal on stolen land. You are meant to be here, and you should know that at the end of the day, I think the inequality America is facing right now is currently reflecting Nazi Germany. If some people can’t speak up, I will speak for them, and I will be their voice.”

A Peninsula High student holds a sign during a protest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice

Kiarah Gallegos, a sophomore held a sign asking, “WWJD” (What would Jesus do?), with various Bible verses.

“I personally don’t believe that religion should be brought into politics,” she said. “But when other people try to use the Bible and God’s word to spread hate and violence, I don’t think that that is okay, and I think that this is the language that will be able to reach them.”

Asked if she knew people at risk of deportation, she said, “Yes.”