Three people were hospitalized after a student anti-ICE walkout in Denver turned violent Friday.
The Colorado Youth Coalition organized a statewide walkout on September 4th, pulling students from classrooms across the state between late morning and noon. Organizers claimed participation from more than 200 schools, with hundreds of students eventually converging on La Alma-Lincoln Park in Denver to protest federal immigration enforcement and President Donald Trump’s deportation policies.
The demonstration included speeches, marches, and signs comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Nazis, the Gestapo, and the Ku Klux Klan. Things escalated when adult counterprotesters arrived, including a masked man carrying an “I Love ICE” sign. Students moved toward the counterprotesters as organizers and security personnel scrambled to keep the groups separated.
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As originally reported, footage from the scene showed one counterprotester recording demonstrators before his camera was apparently knocked away. He was then knocked to the ground, kicked, and shoved. A second man carrying the pro-ICE sign was chased by a crowd and struck in the head with a metal water bottle while trying to leave. A woman whose identity was not immediately known also had her hair pulled and was punched in the face.
Denver police confirmed five assaults or altercations during the event. Three injured people were transported to a hospital. A fourth was treated at the scene. A fifth reportedly left before officers could get a statement. Two people were cited for graffiti. No arrests were announced immediately.
Video of the disorder spread Saturday after commentator Eric Daugherty posted it online, describing the students as having gone “haywire” and calling the scene “total chaos.” The footage showed students yelling, chasing counterprotesters, and throwing objects while adults tried to intervene. Daugherty referred to the targets as ICE agents, though local reports identified them as civilian counterprotesters.
Organizers urged students to stay peaceful and disengage, but those appeals failed to stop the confrontations. Denver Public Schools security officers, teachers, and other adults were seen attempting to restrain or redirect students throughout the disorder.
School districts along Colorado’s Front Range knew walkouts were planned. At least some districts said absences would be unexcused. The Cherry Creek School District set aside an on-campus space for students to demonstrate but said it did not endorse leaving school grounds and warned that disciplinary action could follow for students who violated the code of conduct.
Denver police also noted the event lacked proper authorization. The gathering was organized without a permit or safety plan, a department spokesperson confirmed. Officers identified several suspects in connection with the altercations, and investigations remained ongoing at the time of the report.
