Published January 30, 2026 by Dana Richie, Portland Press Herald.
“No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here,” chanted about 350 South Portland High School students, most wearing black.
They sat on the gymnasium floor from 10:50 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in solidarity with a national general strike over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in Minnesota, Maine and elsewhere.
The student-led demonstration included a 32-second moment of silence to commemorate the 32 lives lost in ICE custody last year, as well as call-and-response chants and student speeches.
“It’s not easy to show up right now because a lot of people are scared,” said Angela Kabisa, a student representative on the South Portland School Board. “We are stronger together no matter how heavy this all feels. We will keep showing up for each other.”
At the end of the sit-in, student organizers encouraged each attendee to draw or write a positive message to be included in a mosaic-like art installation that will hang in the front of the school.
“Anytime kids come together in the spirit of making improvements for other folks is a great thing,” Superintendent George Entwistle said. “That’s what I saw today.”