Up to 100 Churchill County High School students walked off campus Thursday morning, Feb. 12, to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite being warned by the school district that absences would be unexcused.
The walkout began around 11:15 a.m., with students gathering at the corner of Taylor and Merton streets in the former Cock and Bull parking lot, where passing drivers honked in support. Carrying anti-ICE posters, Mexican flags, and an upside-down U.S. flag to symbolize distress, the group began marching about 11:30 a.m. They moved north on Taylor Street to West Tolas Place, then north on Maine Street.
Several parents followed the group to provide support and help ensure safety. There were no student incidents other than a minor medical issue, to which an ambulance and the Fallon Police Department responded. While students exercised respectful behavior, peacefully obeying traffic and pedestrian laws, only about 10 returned to campus afterward.
Many of the students said they were motivated by concerns about immigration enforcement and its impact on families. Emily Hernandez, who marched with her friend Daniela, said, “I think this is important because there are families that are getting torn apart, and honestly, I feel like we only come here to get a better future for us, and I just don't like how families are getting separated.”
Juliette Michelle Rivera-Juarez said, “I believe that immigration is threatening families. I believe that how they're doing this, how they're enforcing immigration, is harsh, it's inhumane, putting people in basically concentration camps. It's history repeating itself.”
She added, “So, like the Holocaust, where people didn't speak up – so many people ended up getting hurt in that … genocide. So, I think it's important that we speak now so that history doesn't repeat itself and another genocide doesn't happen.”
The protest grew slightly as five or six Churchill County Middle School students joined the march as it passed their campus. While walking west on Williams Avenue, the group encountered a driver who shouted and made obscene gestures, apparently believing the protest was school-sanctioned, and threatened a Fallon Post employee with firing, believing she was the teacher in charge.
Other CCHS students who were interviewed were asked why they did not join the demonstration. Each cited concerns about being truant, while some did not want to miss their lunch period or important tests that afternoon. All expressed support for those who did walk out.
Maliya and her friend Jada remained on campus to avoid being marked absent, agreed with the protest, “I genuinely don't like how the president is … talking about how we're criminals and how we're immigrants, but how are we immigrants or criminals when the land that we are on is stolen from us?” Maliya also said, “The president is a criminal himself after all the files got leaked and just everything. He's a criminal himself, and his wife is, like, Hispanic too. So, I don't understand.”
Fallon Post intern and CCHS senior Riggin Stonebarger said he supported students’ right to speak out but chose not to join the demonstration. “I strongly believe complex immigration issues are best addressed through reform and civic engagement rather than demonstrations in an educational environment,” he said. “I believe anybody has the right to express their views responsibly. I choose to contribute through informed discussion and policy-focused engagement, while fully respecting those who exercised their rights.”
While students expressed concerns about immigration enforcement, local officials said ICE activity in Churchill County is typically tied to criminal cases, rather than broad enforcement sweeps.
According to Chief Deputy District Attorney Lane Mills, when an undocumented person is arrested or convicted of a crime, Homeland Security may be notified, and ICE may choose to place a hold on that individual. What happens from there is decided by an immigration judge. “I think there were nine ICE holds in 2025,” Mills said, “and that's when somebody is arrested for a crime here.”
“In Churchill County, at this point, as far as we know, that's how the process works if someone is arrested or has been convicted. I haven't seen anything else,” Mills said, adding that the most recent case involved a child pornography investigation that included Homeland Security/ICE.
Churchill County School District did not sanction the walk-out, nor did it encourage the students’ actions. However, they explained that the district cannot legally prohibit student demonstrations, but can mark students absent from class.
The walkout drew mixed reactions online, with some residents praising the students for speaking out and others expressing concern that participants may not fully understand the immigration system or current enforcement practices.
Most students interviewed said their primary motivation was standing in support of Hispanic friends, relatives, and neighbors they fear could be affected by immigration enforcement.
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