Over 100 students from Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah, participated in a walkout on February 3, 2026. The protest was organized to support the immigrant community and demonstrate against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security. The walkout was not officially sanctioned by the school; students needed parental permission to avoid truancy penalties. Senior Leini Tui and friends organized the event, using the Instagram handle #JDCHSStudentsAgainstICE to coordinate. Students marched a few blocks from the school, carrying signs with messages like "ICE Out" and "Fund education not detention."
about 1 month ago
Over 100 students at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah, staged a walkout on February 3, 2026, protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).1
The unsanctioned event supported the immigrant community amid fears of enforcement actions.1
Senior Leini Tui and friends organized the walkout, creating an Instagram page #JDCHSStudentsAgainstICE.
Students carried signs like "ICE Out" and "Fund education not detention," marching blocks from campus with police coordination.1
Motorists honked in support; a few parents joined, emphasizing peaceful protest and Christian principles.1
The administration notified parents on February 2 that attendance policies applied, requiring parental check-outs to avoid detention or $50 fines per class.1
In a statement, the school respected students' views as "Active Christians, Motivated Learners, and Responsible Citizens" but avoided political commentary.1
Tui accepted potential penalties, prioritizing the cause.1
Parents like Jennifer Whitehead voiced support for victims of perceived targeting based on race or appearance.1
Expert Hosffman Ospino highlighted youth solidarity, noting Latino youth's vulnerability in a "culture of fear" from family separations.1
Eighty percent of those affected by crackdowns are Christian, mostly Catholic; 1 in 6 U.S. Catholics are vulnerable or live with someone who is.1
Pew data shows 36% of U.S. Catholics are Hispanic, with 8 in 10 Hispanic Catholics as immigrants or children of immigrants.1
Ospino criticized profiling beyond undocumented migrants.1
Ospino urged U.S. bishops beyond statements, like November's pastoral message, to visit detention centers, hold Masses, and hold officials accountable.1
He stressed escalating efforts against ongoing operations.1
Catholic youth advocate immigrant rights, opposing ICE enforcement
Catholic youth engaging in advocacy for immigrant rights, including opposition to certain Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, reflects a deep-rooted commitment to the Church's social doctrine on human dignity, migration, and the common good. This involvement aligns closely with longstanding U.S. Catholic bishops' emphases on humane treatment of migrants, comprehensive immigration reform, and protection for the vulnerable, while also navigating the tension between individual rights to migrate and nations' rights to secure borders. Such efforts by young Catholics can embody "political charity" when they promote fraternity and justice without undermining lawful authority. However, Church teaching calls for balanced approaches that reject "enforcement-only" policies but affirm proportional border security, urging discernment to ensure advocacy fosters integration and addresses root causes rather than encouraging irregular migration.
At the heart of Catholic teaching is the recognition that every human person, created in God's image, possesses inherent dignity deserving protection, especially for the poor, marginalized, and migrants. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) consistently teaches a "natural right to migrate" balanced against sovereign nations' obligations to maintain borders and promote the common good. This framework underpins Catholic ministries' work with migrants and refugees, including those encountered by ICE, providing essentials like shelter, food, medical care, legal orientation, and family reunification—often in cooperation with federal agencies.
Pope Francis echoes this in Fratelli Tutti, portraying St. Francis of Assisi as a model of fraternal love extended to the abandoned and outcast, sowing "seeds of peace" among the poor and infirm. Applied to immigration, this inspires youth to see migrants as "brothers and sisters," advocating for social friendship that includes everyone through effective policies. The USCCB explicitly rejects "open borders" while opposing measures that prioritize "deterrence and unjust penalties" over family unity, due process, and legal pathways. For instance, bishops have supported bipartisan bills like the 2013 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which enhanced enforcement alongside regularization for long-term residents.
Youth opposition to ICE enforcement often stems from encounters with family separations, detention conditions, or deportations affecting Dreamers and unaccompanied children. Church documents affirm protections for these groups: Dreamers, brought as children and integrated into U.S. society as contributors, veterans, and parishioners, merit paths to citizenship without fear of deportation. Similarly, USCCB/Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) has served nearly 2,000 unaccompanied youth annually through programs like Safe Passages, emphasizing compliance with laws like the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and Flores Settlement to prioritize child welfare.
Critics sometimes claim Catholic services incentivize unlawful entry or aid smuggling, but USCCB resources refute this: humanitarian aid treats newcomers "with love and respect" per Leviticus 19:34, without evidence of pulling migration. Push-pull factors like violence and poverty drive movement, and Church efforts focus on root causes via development aid. Bishops advocate expanded legal pathways, refugee admissions, and anti-trafficking measures to counter smuggling, explicitly denying support for illicit activities.
Catholic organizations along the U.S.-Mexico border provide temporary aid at government request, advising on legal proceedings—not encouraging violations. This mirrors the Church's broader mission: not replacing the state but purifying reason to advance justice through ethical formation and rational argument. Youth advocacy fits here when it echoes calls for infrastructure to process arrivals humanely, preserving asylum access and family unity.
While youth may oppose specific ICE actions perceived as harsh, Church teaching does not endorse blanket resistance to enforcement. Nations retain "the right to take measures against irregular immigration, with due respect for the human rights of all." The USCCB weighs proposals against Catholic principles, supporting security enhancements if "proportional and humanely implemented" with training and oversight—not "enforcement-only" approaches that undermine humanitarian protections. Recent legislative priorities urge bipartisan reform via bills like the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and Afghan Adjustment Act, prioritizing integration over punishment.
On civil disobedience, sources like Catholic Conscience and Civil Disobedience emphasize truth's primacy: obey God over unjust laws compelling sin, but weigh social disruption for lesser injustices, urging compliance alongside complaint. Immigration advocacy rarely invokes direct disobedience, as serving migrants complies with law and First Amendment protections. Fratelli Tutti clarifies: loving oppressors does not mean tolerating oppression; victims must defend rights strenuously, demanding justice without vengeance. Thus, youth protests against family separations or overreach align if they seek policy change, not lawlessness.
The Church's political role is to form consciences for the common good, building just orders where each receives their due—without wielding state power. Catholic youth, as part of this "community of love," exercise "the highest forms of charity" in political engagement.
In a polarized debate, Catholic youth advocacy counters hostility toward Church ministries, echoing bishops' Justice for Immigrants campaign since 2004. It addresses global crises like Ukraine and Latin American instability driving migration. Yet, nuance is key: reform must expand legal immigration, protect due process, and tackle root causes, avoiding measures penalizing aid providers.
In summary, Catholic youth opposing harsh ICE enforcement while championing immigrant rights faithfully extends Church teaching when rooted in dignity, balanced reform, and charity. This work promotes a "social and political order whose soul is social charity," fostering fraternity amid division. Believers are called to humane welcome, lawful security, and prayerful action for comprehensive solutions.