Students walk out of class in protest
Published: Wed, Mar. 29, 2006 01:23PM
Modified Wed, Mar. 29, 2006 01:24PM
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closeAbout three dozen students at Smithfield-Selma High School walked out of classes this morning to protest immigration bills being debated in Congress this week.
They are the latest in a wave of high schoolers from California to Virginia protesting immigration legislation by walking out of school.
The students, mostly Hispanic, marched down Booker Dairy Road and U.S. 301 about 11 a.m., despite warnings from administrators that they risked suspension for skipping school. They waved signs protesting House Bill 4437, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last December. The bill would make being in the U.S. illegally a felony and calls for building two-layer fences along 700 miles of the Mexican/American border.
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Many passers-by honked in support. Others shouted "Go back to Mexico." The original crowd swelled to about 50 as family members and observers joined the march.
By 1 p.m., the students had lapped the courthouse in Smithfield and were headed to the local Wal-Mart.
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