Students in schools across the state held demonstrations Friday to protest recent actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Thousands of people in the Austin Independent School District participated in the protest, with some leaving middle and high schools to walk to the Texas Capitol.
Gov. Greg Abbott called on Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate the demonstrations after video posted online of an Austin Independent School District protest showed district police cars approaching protesting students.
“AISD uses taxpayer dollars to teach state-required subjects instead of helping students skip school to protest,” Abbott wrote Friday night. “Our schools are there to educate our children, not political indoctrination.”
Superintendent Matias Segura wrote in a letter to families that the protests were not sponsored or supported by the district or any AISD campus. He said the district always wants students to remain in the classroom during instructional time.
Students at Crockett High School in Austin walk out of their school on Friday, January 30, 2026, as part of a nationwide protest against the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hundreds of students participated in the walkout, one of similar student demonstrations held at other Austin-area schools. (Jay Jenner/Austin American-Statesman)
“Our students are our responsibility during the school day and we are committed to keeping our community schools safe whether they are on our campus or not,” Segura said. “That’s why our administrators and Austin ISD police are with our students during the protests during school hours.”
Students at McCallum High School walk out of class to protest ICE on Friday, January 30, 2026, in Austin. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)
Segura said the district is limited in its ability to ensure the safety of students participating in unsanctioned activities. He added that staff cannot physically stop students who choose to leave campus, and those who leave campus during school hours to participate in protests will be marked as unexcused absences.
The student march in Austin was part of a national day of action against ICE, with a coalition of businesses, labor groups and advocacy organizations calling on protesters to stop work, school and shopping. The protests were in response to the killings of Alex Pretty, Renee Goode, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez and Keith Porter Jr., all civilians killed in encounters with federal agents.
