Following the mid-December detainment of Leonila González, the mother of a DSHS student whose arrest took place less than a half mile from the school, more than 100 students began to organize a walkout during which they planned to present administrators with a list of demands.
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Amory, a pseudonym, first became aware of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Columbus, dubbed “Operation Buckeye,” in mid-December. But it wasn’t until ICE agents apprehended Leonila González at the intersection of Emerald Parkway and Hard Road less than half mile from where Amory is enrolled at Dublin Scioto High School that the reality of what was taking place really hit home for the freshman, who chose to remain anonymous out of fear of school repercussions.
“The first time I heard about [ICE] being around the school was on Friday, Dec. 19 … when I was getting text messages from a friend that [agents] were nearby,” Amory said, describing how the rumors of the detention spread among the student body even as administration officials downplayed the proximity of federal operations. “I asked my mom to contact the school about it, and they were claiming that nothing was going on and it was business as usual.”…