ATHENS, Ohio — Several hundred Ohio University students walked out of classes on Jan. 23 and gathered on the College Green in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions nationwide, including the killing of Renee Good earlier this month.
Ohio University’s chapter of the Ohio Students Association organized the event in collaboration with Students for Justice in Palestine and a local group called Black Panther Party Legacy. Speakers from each organization gave speeches and led chants and songs for a crowd of around 600 demonstrators, according to estimates by Ohio Students Association members. Several members of the Ohio Students Association handed out zines and whistle kits informing demonstrators of their rights and peaceful methods of resistance to local ICE activity.
The walkout was organized in just 48 hours in solidarity with the city of Minneapolis, according to Tylar Ayers, vice president of OU’s chapter of the Ohio Student Association. Since December, thousands of ICE officers have been active in Minneapolis for Operation Metro Surge, which the agency has called its “largest immigration operation ever.” In addition to detaining several thousand Minneapolis residents, ICE operatives have killed two U.S. citizens in the city: Good, who was shot on Jan. 7, and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
“For a lot of us, we know it is no longer a question of if ICE will be here, but when,” Ayers said to the crowd. “In addition to standing in solidarity with Minneapolis, we’re organizing to make sure that never happens in Athens, and calling on our university to protect our campus.”
Event organizers also distributed a petition calling on OU President Lori Gonzales and the university administration to protect students from potential ICE activity in Athens. The petition urges OU to make public a policy for responding to ICE activity, publicly state that ICE is not welcome on campus, refuse to share data with ICE, treat ICE’s presence on campus as a “critical emergency” and deny ICE access to any campus buildings.
The petition also encourages the university to refuse to sign a 287(g) agreement, which allows “state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight,” according to the ICE website.
As of Jan. 29, the online petition had gathered 224 signatures. Representatives of OU’s chapter of the Ohio Student Association said they collected 140 signatures during the walkout event.
Daniel Pittman, senior director of communications for Ohio University told the Independent in an email, “Freedom of speech and civic engagement are central to Ohio University’s values as an institution of higher education, and we support the right of all individuals to peacefully express their views and speak out about issues they feel are of impact and importance.”
One student in attendance at OU’s protest told the Independent, “It just feels like, what can you do when our government is acting with no checks or balances, sending militia into our streets and murdering citizens without any due cause? I just felt the need to come out here and at least try to raise awareness.”
Not all of the demonstrators were students. One retired professor in attendance told the Independent that they came to the walk-out because they were “a functioning human being.”
Another community member said they attended because they “wanted to support the students.”
Eden, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine who spoke at the walkout, told the Independent they hope the walkout will inspire people to “protect one another and be there for one another.”
Eden also told the Independent that an ICE tip line had been established for Athens by the Athens Safety Network, a private Facebook group. The group and tip line were formed following false rumors of ICE activity in Athens in November 2025, and will take efforts to verify any possible ICE activity.
Athens County residents may call the number at 740-856-6176.
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