Greg Abbott orders probe of Austin school district after students stage walkout against ICE

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed the state’s education commissioner to investigate the Austin Independent School District following reports that students were allowed to leave campus with a police escort to attend a protest at the state capitol against federal immigration enforcement.

“I have directed the Education Commissioner to investigate this,” Abbott announced on X. “AISD gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest.”

“Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination. This is one of many reasons why AISD is losing so many students,” the governor added.

On Friday, students in schools across the country staged a walkout as part of a “National Shutdown” protest against the federal government’s crackdown on immigration law. In Texas, students participating in the walkout held signs and marched in cities including Austin, Waco, and San Antonio. In downtown Austin, groups of students headed to the state capitol for a scheduled protest.

During the gathering, several speakers called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and criticized the agency in the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.

According to the Texas Tribune, at least two individuals on Capitol grounds were detained by Department of Public Safety officers during the protests.

The New Braunfels Independent School District, meanwhile, acknowledged student walkouts on its campuses but said students who participated would be marked absent and could face discipline for “actions that disrupt instruction or pose safety concerns.”