Students across the San Mateo County Community College District SMCCCD participated in walkouts on Friday, Jan. 30, in solidarity against the violence of immigration enforcement. College of San Mateo CSM students protested from campus to downtown San Mateo.
At CSM, students gathered at 12:30 p.m. before beginning a walk toward Central Park in San Mateo. The walkout was organized by sophomores Adamary Lopez and Jay Jay Chasaya, who said the decision to participate came together quickly after seeing similar actions planned across the district.
“It was very last-minute,” Lopez said. “When we saw that everybody was coming out on Friday, we were like, ‘Let’s just do it. Let’s not wait.’”
Lopez, a business administration major and president of both the Puente Club and Business Club at CSM, said the walkout was motivated by growing concerns over immigration enforcement and its impact on both undocumented individuals and U.S. citizens.
“I thought the whole problem was about people who weren’t citizens,” Lopez said. “But now it’s affecting citizens too. It’s not blue versus red anymore — it’s the top one percent versus everyone else.”
Organizers credited student-led efforts and social media for helping coordinate the demonstration across campuses. Chasaya, a nursing major, said similar walkouts at local high schools helped inspire the actions at CSM.
“If it wasn’t for social media, we would have never known about this or been able to coordinate,” Chasaya said. “The high schools really inspired us to come together.”
Students followed a pre-planned route from the CSM campus to Central Park, a walk of approximately 4.1 miles, which took them two hours. Organizers shared safety guidelines ahead of time, encouraging participants to stay on sidewalks, follow the designated route, and walk in groups.
Both organizers said they hope the walkout sends a message beyond the district, encouraging others to speak out and organize within their own communities.
“We’re not scared,” Lopez said. “Look at the turnout — we’re all still here.”
Chasaya added that the demonstration was meant to inspire action nationwide.
“If we can come together as a community here, why not do that in other states too?” Chasaya said.
