UPDATE: Monday, Feb. 9, at 12:13 p.m.
The large attendance at the protests in downtown Novato left lasting impacts on the San Marin community. Senior Maya Waldorf had a large part in organizing the ICE Out protest at San Marin.
“I think overall the impact was very important,” Waldorf said. “It was genuinely so inspiring to see all of these students start at school and walk all the way to City Hall.”
Waldorf is part of San Marin’s Anti-Racist Student Union, which worked with administrators to plan the protest.
“We had a discussion on Thursday right before the protests… we wanted to get a better idea of what was happening,” Waldorf said.
The union had originally planned for 50 to 100 students to show up in front of the school to attend the protest, but the numbers exceeded their prediction, so they moved the group to Downtown Novato to have more room for the students to protest.
“When the students informed us they were walking downtown, we sent staff to do the best we could to try and have [an] adult presence,” Principal Andy Boone said. “Safety was my first concern.”
Original story: January 30, 6:11 p.m.
On Jan. 30, 2026, a protest against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occurred in the United States. The nationwide protest is known as “ICE Out,” and it was intended to be a peaceful, non-violent protest. ICE has been under scrutiny for their treatment of American citizens and immigrants.
“I believe if we wanted to [deport] illegal immigrants I think there is a much safer way to do so,” freshman Canon Kushner said. “There needs to be a more organized way to do this [instead of killing people].”
Students at San Marin High School, among numerous other high schools across the U.S., organized a walkout and protest from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to push back against ICE. Students left their second period classes and met at the front of San Marin with posters and signs to begin the protest. Afterwards, students left campus and joined other members of the Novato Community at City Hall to join a bigger protest.
Junior Delaney Butler was among the students who walked out of class on Friday morning.
“I think it is important for the school and myself to show up and show that we care and to make our voices heard,” Butler said. “I feel like the more we sit back and don’t speak up about what is right, then it will continue staying the same way it is, and that is not okay.”
Since the start of 2026, ICE agents have killed eight people, two of whom were American citizens. In addition, protesters in Minneapolis, MN have been tear-gassed during peaceful protests. Many students want to push back on ICE and feel as though the U.S. needs to stop the tactics of enforcement they are currently using to detain illegal immigrants.
Sophomore Andy Larson helped lead the student march to City Hall on Friday.
“I’m tired of this being allowed in our country, and it’s not right. I think ICE is terrible,” Larson said. “I think they should get out of our country, and our political climate has never been worse. I think what’s happening isn’t right and I want Trump to be out of office.”
Many second, third, and fourth period classrooms were almost empty, with averages of eight to 10 students. Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography and AP World History teacher Robert Lacy had about 10 to 11 students in each of his classes.
“I’m a firm believer in the First Amendment… I believe that students have to make their own decisions on what the lost class time means as it relates to following what they believe,” Lacy said. “Evil men prevail when good men do nothing.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated accordingly.
Additional contributions by Lila Chase
