Kern High School students walk out against ICE raids and federal crackdowns

Students in Kern County schools joined the nationwide walkouts on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2026, commemorating the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration and demanding an end to immigration operations.

Last year, Hector Hernandez, a former Mira Monte student, led the walkouts in Bakersfield to protest against the raids by the Trump administration who first targeted Kern County on Jan. 7, 2025. 

One day after Congress certified Trump’s election victory, El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino sent 65 agents six hours north of the Mexico-U.S. border to conduct a raid that affected immigrant communities and agricultural businesses statewide, sparking a legal battle over mass deportation practices. The agents traveled over 300 miles to launch “Operation Return to Sender,” which was a week-long operation targeting predominantly Latino areas in Kern County. 

Back then, Hernandez shared with CALÓ News that his decision to start the walkouts was inspired by watching social media videos with his mother. The videos highlighted the harmful impact of the dismantling of the Department of Education, along with footage of families being separated by the Border Patrol due to their undocumented status.

Now, Hernandez along with other six members of Organizing For a Better Change once again, organized the countywide student walkout protest, which included Bakersfield High School, Eastside High School, Mira Monte High School and Foothill High School. 

Some students walked more than three hours, staying committed to arriving at the meeting area, which was at the Kern County Superior Court. There were also several chaperones and volunteers helping the youth. Organizing For a Better Change provided food, snacks and water for the students who walked out and joined the peaceful protest.

“I'm not gonna lie, I feel very, very proud of what we've got going on today. I feel very happy that a lot of the youths came out. Like they always say, the youths are the first ones to move in when it comes to a movement. So I'm just very, very happy that all of them actually came out,” Hernandez said. “I know it wasn't the same as last year on February 12th, but enough to make enough noise.”

He also shared that it has been difficult to witness events unfolding in several Latino communities. “Seeing what's happening, how a lot of people have been getting murdered, a lot of people have been getting arrested, kidnapped and everything, is very scary,” he said. “If I was a parent, I wouldn't want any of my kids to go out, but seeing the impact of the walkouts and what it's doing and the impact that it needs, I suggest for a lot of parents to talk to their kids every day about all these things that's going on.”

Just last month, ICE agents were spotted in Bakersfield. Several organizations posted on social media, highlighting raids that were happening in the County. Itzel Manriquez, who is also  a member of the youth-led group Organizing For a Better Change shared with CALÓ News how upsetting it is that communities are being targeted based on their language or the color of their skin.

“We are all witnessing what they are doing to our communities and not just one, everybody's community,” she said. “We're all going through struggles right now and it's really unfair that they are trying to divide communities instead of just helping each other so we can all grow.”

Leslie Henderson Oajaca, along with her two high school children, stood in front of the Bakersfield’s Liberty Bell waving flags and signs and chanting at passing traffic, showing solidarity with their classmates and community members.

“I’m here at this protest to support my kids who want to make their voices heard, and I think that's important to teach your children. As a parent, it's my job to support them in their growth. Whatever they're learning in school today is not as important as this,” Oajaca shared.

She also said immigration operations in other counties may foreshadow what lies ahead for Kern County. “If it can happen there it can happen here too. We just have to make sure that we take a stand, stick with our community, build community bonds so that we know that we have support out here. This city in particular is an immigrant city,” she said. “The finances of our city are backed by immigrants' work power, so if  they think they're gonna come over here and do something like that, who you're really gonna hurt is the entire city.”