Coyote Prints

Ice Walk Out

Harinitha Babu and Lily Garcia

Phots by Aiden Branudeen

On February 6 at 2:09 pm, the cafeteria was filled to the brim with countless students holding up posters with graphics and messages that were clearly crafted with diligence and passion. Then, one of the organizers, junior Sanaa Eades, stepped forward, raised her megaphone, and began her speech, but her words were drowned out by the surrounding noise. The organizers urged the crowd to settle down and be respectful, yet the volume hardly diminished.

Finally, no longer willing to be ignored, they marched into the center of the crowd, creating an empty circle around themselves. Suddenly, the cafeteria fell silent. From there, the girls delivered their powerful speeches, expressing their support for all the immigrants and families in the U.S. Though this happened in a school cafeteria, it allowed multiple students to be heard by one another and fostered a place of support and care. “Listening shows that you care about them, and I know a lot of people weren’t listening, but … I’m very appreciative of the ones who did listen and did take the time to actually care and come out and show support to the ones who were really going through this right now,” senior Noelia Rubio, who organized the walkout, said.

On January 24, an Instagram account under the username @clarksburgagainst.ice posted about the Clarksburg Ice Walkout. Initially planned for January 30, the student-led protest was part of a nationwide walkout held against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). However, in the days leading up to the event, Winter Storm Fern hit the Mid-Atlantic, prompting MCPS to cancel school for over a week. The walkout was postponed, but due to students’ persistence and passion, it was soon announced that it would instead take place on February 6. “I started the account because I know there’s a lot of families right now who are currently going through this and need support, and even if it’s just speaking up and saying your own opinion about … ICE and what’s happening around the world,” Rubio said.

ICE is an agency focused on keeping illegal immigrants out of the US. Their job is to protect the border, arrest and deport anyone who has illegally crossed the US border, as well as investigate illegal cross-border movement of goods and people. Under the Trump administration, they have become the highest funded law enforcement agency, having access to $85 million. At the same time, the amount of required training has been decreased. “I think to ICE, I would say to get out of our country, you’re under qualified. You’re not meant to be here. You bring terror, you bring fear,” an anonymous Clarksburg student said.

February 6 was a reflection of many student’s beliefs at Clarksburg High School, with students at the protest arguing ICE was violating human rights. @clarksburgagainst.ice stated, "deportation has never been only about criminals, it has impacted children, parents, and entire communities.” The walkout is a response to the harsh ways ICE has treated immigrants and citizens, which range from racial profiling to killing in cold blood. ICE has arrested and deported thousands of immigrants, some of which were American citizens. ICE has even detained children and split up families. One student explained, "I came to the protest because I've been witnessing what been happening to my Hispanic immigrant community for like years now, and I think it’s important to show up rather than just to sit back and just say words because participation you know, it matters, being there matter, and showing that matters."

SNAP Benefit Changes Confuse Consumers

Emma Mukhija

The first in a series of new changes to what Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits cover took effect on January 1, 2026. Approximately 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to help them buy food. Typically, these benefits are only available to those who receive a monthly income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level.

These new regulations are being adopted at the state level rather than the national level. What this means is that, state to state, what is covered by SNAP benefits varies greatly. Currently, eighteen states have either already made changes or will make changes this year; Maryland is not one of these states. All of the changes have been made to align with the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, initiative. Candy, chocolate, and sugary drinks are all examples of products that have recently become ineligible for SNAP coverage in many states; however, the details of these changes are much more confusing than it may seem upon first glance.

The definition of sugary drinks, for example, differ depending on the state, and it’s not always as straightforward as you would think. In Colorado, sugary drinks are classified as either having natural or artificial sweeteners or containing less than 50% fruit juice. But in Tennessee, excluded drinks include those with carbonated water and sugar, corn syrup, cane syrup, or high fructose corn syrup in the first two ingredients.

SNAP benefits in Iowa can only be used to purchase items the state doesn’t consider taxable, resulting in a myriad of hard-to-understand regulations. In accordance with these rules, the majority of Nature Valley granola bars may be bought with SNAP benefits because they contain flour, but not Nature Valley protein bars as they lack the ingredient. These specific rules are especially perplexing when shopping at the grocery store. Nobody wants to be stuck in a situation where they are turned down at the register, making the restrictions that much more intimidating for people who are simply trying to get by and purchase their groceries.

Idaho and Iowa are two states that prohibit the purchase of Gatorade with SNAP benefits. To the average person, this may not seem like a harmful guideline. However, it fails to recognize the millions of Americans with chronic illnesses like POTS who require high amounts of sodium in their diet in order to help maintain blood volume and pressure. For these people, electrolyte drinks are crucial in minimizing their symptoms.

Additionally, the restrictions on candy and desserts completely ignore the fact that millions of children rely on SNAP benefits. By excluding sweets, these regulations prevent kids from enjoying the occasional treat or something special for a birthday celebration.

Going beyond the consumer level, these changes are putting extra pressure on retailers as well. Not only do they have to keep track of the minute differences between states’ restrictions, they have to change much of their preexisting merchandise's eligibility and explain to confused customers why they won’t be able to afford their normal groceries anymore. “It’s not the governor who is going to be standing behind the counter explaining the changes. It’s going to be an 18- or 19-year-old employee explaining complex changes to this system,” explained Margaret Handin Mannion, director of government relations for the National Association of Convenience Stores, to the New York Times.

As of January 2025, close to 694,000 Marylanders, or 11% of Maryland’s population, are SNAP participants. Stricter work requirements have taken effect in the state, and as the budget for SNAP continues to tighten, Maryland may have to accept more government help and subsequently enforce MAHA restrictions similar to the ones in other states. Only time will tell as to how Maryland will be affected by all this, but it’s clear that these new changes are far from easy on consumers.

Second Walkout Allows Students to Come Together Against ICE

Emma Mukhija

On Monday, February 9, students gathered in the Language Hallway to stage the second walkout against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in the past three days. The first walkout took place on Friday, February 6 in the school cafeteria. Many were disheartened by the fact that Friday’s walkout was moved inside the school, with students asserting that they wouldn’t attend the protest because of the change, despite the organizers affirming that it was done in an effort to put student safety first. Senior Noelia Rubio started the original walkout on Friday, Feburary 6, and defended the decision to move the protest inside, saying, “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to anybody because that would fall on me and I would never forgive myself.”

Whether complaints were valid or not, it provided students with enough motivation to plan a second walkout set to take place the following Monday morning. With its earlier timing, more students would get to take part in the protests, too.

Beginning indoors, students exited the building at 9:30 am, loudly calling throughout the protest for ICE to be abolished. The protest took students all around the school’s exterior, and, since this was the second walkout, it appeared that the majority of the student protestors in attendance were truly passionate about the issue instead of simply trying to skip class. “I felt it was important to participate in this walkout because this issue is growing out of proportion and needs to be stopped before more innocent lives are taken. Children even younger than us are being stripped from their families, detained, and [people have] even killed because of ICE, and change will never happen as long as us students are silenced,” an anonymous student said.

Both walkouts, as well as the walkouts held at other Montgomery County schools, have been in response to what protestors view as ICE’s aggressive response to people exercising their First Amendment right to protest, as well as their agency’s practice of detaining civilians based on their skin color or language. Montgomery County is the most diverse county in Maryland, meaning this is an issue that hits close to home for many students. Not everyone is able to attend protests in larger cities like DC, so providing people with ways to speak out locally can be an important opportunity to voice frustrations as well as a way to come together. “... I finally felt as if my voice could help others and that I could be a part of something bigger than me. I did it not for myself, but for the innocent people who are suffering daily because of ICE,” the same anonymous student shared.

The conflict regarding the location of the initial protest should not overshadow what the walkouts achieved or stood for. These protests were created to bring attention to ICE’s brutality, but more importantly to show the students of Clarksburg High that they have a community of peers they can count on, no matter how tough things may be. Monday’s walkout provided students with another outlet to speak out about what they believe in, and the importance of that should never be underestimated.

“Being an immigrant from anywhere is a beautiful thing, and something to be proud of. It shows you are a product of bravery and you should never let somebody try and take that away from you,” junior Ava Vicens concluded.

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