The Otterbein chapter of URGE, Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, participated in a nationwide student walkout in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Michael DeLuccia, T&C field reporter and videographer, captured the walkout and rally. Roughly 100 people attended the walkout, which began at 2 p.m. on Jan. 20 outside of the Campus Center. Before the group began walking, students Aeriyana Goddard and Israel Lopez Altamirano opened with speeches. Goddard, who is the president of Otterbein’s URGE chapter, cited the shooting of Renée Good as well as the deaths of 34 others who died while in ICE custody.
Goddard called upon Congress to hold ICE, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Trump administration accountable for these deaths and for many other injustices that they have allegedly committed. Altamirano gave a personal account of his experience with ICE. He recalled ICE wrongfully seizing a man from his church, forcing the church into virtual meetings out of fear of future intervention.
“I got to remember that my family comes first more than anything else, as well as the people in my community, so I decided to then come and give a speech,” said Altamirano. He also said his desire is to inspire others to become involved in bigger movements in the future.
Goddard also called on others to act. “I hope that people will vote at midterms,” she said. “URGE has put out a lot of info and resources on things you can do that aren’t out here protesting, that includes calling your representatives, getting in contact with judges, flooding the lines, you know, people can change.”
As the walk began, the crowd continued to grow. The group walked down Home Street before reaching State Street and making a right. Once the group arrived in front of City Hall, there was another speech before the official protest began. The larger group split into two, with a main group remaining in front of the building and a smaller group crossing the street. At the peak of the protest, there were around 125 people present, with a significant number of people remaining at the main protest for around an hour.
The protest was not limited to students, with a handful of community members making the cold trek to join the demonstration. One of these individuals was Michael Sponsler, who said he felt very passionately that young people have not gotten to experience true governance. “A lot of younger people have only experienced politics of the last 10, 15 years and think that’s normal,” said Sponsler. “It’s not normal. What is happening today is an insult to every citizen in the country.”
The context behind the protest stems from a string of deaths related to individuals either encountering ICE or being in ICE custody. The recent ICE custody death toll currently sits at 36. 32 of these deaths occurred in 2025, which is the highest ICE custody death toll since 2004, according to the Guardian. The Detention Watch Network reports four more being tallied in the new year. This total does not include shooting deaths, such as Good’s. The causes of death vary, with seizures, heart failure, suicide, strokes, tuberculosis, and respiratory failure all taking blame.
Many of the ICE officers with boots on the ground are masked and wearing plain clothes. There have been reports by major organizations, such as the New York Times, of ICE officers detaining individuals outside of immigration hearings at their jobs, homes, and out on the streets. These actions of ICE have been a hot topic of debate of how far federal immunity to the law should go, and what legal grounds ICE must have to stop an individual they suspect to be in the U.S. unlawfully.
Michael is a freshman public relations major and entertainment professional attending Otterbein University.
Will we get a snow day Monday?
