SAN ANTONIO, Texas — In a continuing effort to halt the establishment of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in San Antonio, a group organized by the Bexar County Democrats staged a march and rally that started and concluded at a local middle school. Early on Saturday, participants, some with signs featuring crude messages, gathered in front of the school, chanting anti-ICE slogans.
The event, referred to as the “March for Freedom and Justice” at Davis Middle School, included an appearance by U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX). Protesters displayed various signs and set up static displays with provocative messages on school grounds.
One of the displays featured a message critical of the Department of Homeland Security, while another showcased a large Mexican flag with similar sentiments. The rally wrapped up as San Antonio police officers guided the group of over a hundred protesters to the proposed ICE facility and back to the school.
Breitbart Texas reported from the scene at the Davis Middle School, which is part of the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD). A request for comments from SAISD regarding the politically sponsored anti-ICE event held on its campus, which also included a voter registration effort, has yet to receive a response.
The Bexar County Democratic Party promoted the event on its website, passionately urging activists to participate. They expressed outrage over the Trump administration’s plan to open a detention facility for immigrants in their community. The call to action included details about the gathering, inviting attendees to hear from Congressman Joaquin Castro, Commissioner Tommy Calvert, and Father Jimmy Drennan.
Davis College Prep Middle School, located at 4702 East Houston Street, where the protest began, recently received an F rating from the Texas Education Agency. A report noted that it ranks 7,954 out of 8,096 public middle schools across Texas. Furthermore, the school has an overall D rating, placing it 1,418 out of 1,890 middle schools in the state.
This campus is one of 85 public schools run by the San Antonio Independent School District. In July, the School Board appointed Dr. Adrian Bustillos as the district’s new Superintendent despite his past involvement in a cheating controversy.
A report related to Bustillos’ selection referenced an earlier scandal in El Paso, where administrators inflated student test scores, impacting the federally required accountability system. As a result of the cheating incident, the Texas Education Agency issued a probated suspension of Bustillos’ teaching certificate in 2017.
The demonstration that started from the Davis Middle School campus attracted various activist groups, including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), and the Brown Berets, a pro-Chicano paramilitary organization that identifies its members as militants rather than activists.
