Opinion: Young voices matter in the fight against family separation

Imagine waking up one day and being separated from your family. Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy, drew national attention when he and his father were detained by ICE on Jan. 20 after returning home from preschool in a Minneapolis suburb. Since 2025, immigrant families have been living in fear more than ever, knowing that any day they could be separated from the people they love.

I’m a high school student, and I’m speaking on behalf of the youth to spread awareness of the fear ICE has caused for many families.

On Feb. 13, as part of the larger New York City walkout, students from different schools came together in protest against ICE in Sunset Park because of the neighborhood’s large immigrant population. Protesters yelled and chanted as we marched up Fifth Avenue, congregating in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As an emerging photographer who was part of the protest, I experienced the anger students feel toward ICE, anger that no young person should feel while growing up.

One student’s story especially stood out to me. He mentioned that his uncle had recently been deported, and that was his motive for protesting, even though he was not someone you would expect to walk out of school. Many of us students had our own motives, whether it was pain from our own experiences or from watching families around us get torn apart.

Not only did I feel their anger, but I also felt pride. Many brought flags and posters, showing pride in their culture, pride in being immigrants, and pride in being the daughters and sons of immigrants who want to be their families’ voices.

Reviewing the photos I took, I asked myself whether it was disrespectful to gather in front of the church. I questioned that choice for a moment because of the strong language. But then I remembered Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Students as protesters are peacemakers, trying to bring peace to our neighborhoods.

Before talking about solutions to prevent more deportations, I first want to recognize students who have been impacted, like Dylan Lopez Contreras, a student at ELLIS Prep in the Bronx who was detained, and Yuanxin Zheng, a first grader at P.S. 166 in Astoria, Queens, who was separated from his family and later deported. They were just trying to make their families proud by getting an education. Students shouldn’t be affected by something they have no control over, like immigration status.

I want students and families to come together, and communities to organize and protest against ICE’s presence in Sunset Park, as well as in other places where ICE is active. We students can only do so much, but with everyone’s help, we can help adults realize that they can be fearless too.