By Sunayana Prabhu
LITTLE SILVER – Red Bank Regional High School students were among those who participated in a National Shutdown Jan. 30 to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions as part of the agency’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The students staged the demonstration during the school’s second lunch period, outside the main entrance pavilion, according to Superintendent Louis Moore. “Student speakers highlighted the positive role that immigrants play in our society, the hardships many families currently face – including separation and detention – and the need for constructive reform,” Moore said in a message to the school community about the protest.
Red Bank Regional is home to numerous students of immigrant families, which Moore noted in his message. “Many of our students are confronting hardships but are facing these challenges with courage and tenacity,” he said. “We are deeply saddened to see innocent people and members of our school community contending with separation from loved ones and abuse by federal officials.”
According to the New Jersey Department of Education’s 2023-24 enrollment data, RBR has a total enrollment of 1,264 students. Hispanic students comprise approximately 42% of the student population, while white students make up nearly 50%. Other racial and ethnic groups, including Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and multiracial students, collectively account for about 7% of the total enrollment.
Moore praised the students for how they organized and led the demonstration, emphasizing its peaceful tone and adherence to school expectations.
“I want to commend the student leaders and participants for the mature and respectful manner in which they conducted themselves,” he wrote. “We witnessed young people expressing their concerns in a peaceful and responsible way, reflective of the best traditions of American democracy.”
The demonstration concluded without incident, and students returned to class on time.
In a social media post, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) also commended the students. “I wanted to recognize the 130 students at Red Bank Regional High School who walked out of class and stood in freezing temperatures as part of the national shutdown to protest the lawlessness of Donald Trump’s ICE,” he said. “Thank you for stepping up and inspiring us all.”
In recent months, ICE has been to the borough multiple times, resulting in at least one confirmed arrest Jan. 6 of landscaper Ricardo Paz. An active GoFundMe campaign to cover his legal fees has raised nearly $7,000 so far. Paz is still being held at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark. Another GoFundMe, set up by Red Bank Regional teacher Sarafina Mugavero for a former student who was placed in ICE detention this month, has successfully helped pay for her bond, bringing some hope in the community.
The RBR demonstration mirrored similar protests that took place across the country, including in other parts of New Jersey. According to several reports, Moorestown High School students held a rally against ICE actions Jan. 24, during which participants raised concerns about deportations and enforcement practices. Residents also protested in Roxbury against a proposed ICE detention center in their town. In Morristown, hundreds of residents participated in
anti-ICE rallies, following aggressive immigration raids earlier this month.
According to nationalshutdown.org, 1,000 organizations participated in 300 actions in 50 states during the National Shutdown event to protest recent federal immigration enforcement policies.
The article originally appeared in the February 5 – 11, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
