John Adams students rally for DACA recipients

By: Taurean Small

Posted: Sep 8, 2017 6:33 PM EDT

NOW: John Adams students rally for DACA recipients

SOUTH BEND, Ind.— More than one hundred South Bend teens stood in support of DACA recipients.

Many students at John Adams High School walked right out of their classes Friday afternoon, asking local and national leaders to protect immigrant students.

Students at John Adams are chanting "We support DREAMers." Quite a few told me this #DACA protest started through social media. pic.twitter.com/XVt82fCmL2
— Taurean Small (@taureansmall) September 8, 2017

Wednesday, students in Denver, Colorado walked out of class by the thousands to protest President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind DACA.

After seeing that, teens here at home wanted to make a statement as well.

“That inspired us to know that this is something tangible that we can do,” said Bernal Cortes, a senior at John Adams High School. “And so because of that, we saw that 1000 students walked out in Denver, that was really our inspiration to start here.”

Quite a few Adams students said they were told skipping classes to participate in this rally could result in repercussions.

Some students were told by administrators they risked suspension if they decided to walk out.

A representative from the South Bend Community Schools Corporation told ABC 57 News in a statement, the school wanted to make sure students stayed safe.

It read:

"The principal met this morning with some students who spoke about walking out of school in support of DACA. Students were offered several alternatives as the school is hoping to work together with them. Students were told about potential consequences if they chose to participate. Our number one priority is safety of the students regardless of what the cause, walkouts put students’ safety at risk.”

These students felt it was worth it in order to stand up for the many DACA recipients at the school.

One DREAMer participated in the protest, Friday.

She said she felt encouraged by the support from her classmates.

“Now that I see that I have the support from my peers and everybody, I honestly feel more empowered to keep going and continue with my education,” said Nadia Gonzalez, a senior at Adams and a DACA recipient.