A brief altercation recorded during Lake Zurich High School’s Feb. 12 walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gone viral online, reflecting the anger over ICE operations that have prompted school walkouts across Lake County and around the country. The video was posted by an online content creator with nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram, and appears to have been recorded from his point of view during the walkout. In the video, he can be heard saying, “We support ICE and law enforcement.” Another student approaches, saying, “I’m going to punch you in the face.” When the student recording tells the other student he will get in trouble, he says “okay” before seemingly attempting to strike the student with the camera. The content creator’s other videos seem to primarily be prank-related content. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. According to the Lake Zurich Police Department, at about 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 12, several of their officers were present at the high school for a scheduled walkout protest related to ICE operations. School personnel reported a fight taking place inside the school near the main entrance and asked officers to respond. The students had already been separated by the time officers arrived. “Officers learned that two students got into a physical altercation because of a sign one of them was holding,” the department said. School officials advised the officers that they were no longer needed, according to the department, and they exited the building and monitored the rest of the students participating in the protest. The school district declined to comment on the incident, but referenced it in a letter from Principal John Walsh sent to families regarding the walkouts. According to the letter, about 100 students participated, and the protest has garnered attention from “some with no apparent affiliation to the district.” The letter said unauthorized use of recording devices, physical altercations, bullying and harassment are outlined in board policies, as well as disciplinary measures. “My expectation is that all students uphold our policies along with our district values — which include integrity and respect. We will continue to reinforce these expectations as we return to school,” Walsh wrote in the letter. The video of the incident went viral online, popping up across different platforms and drawing varying reactions from different political spheres, garnering praise and criticism alike. The video was also highlighted by various right-wing organizations, including the local branch of Moms for Liberty, which had made other posts critical of the planned walkout, calling it a “student-organized disruption.” Lake County has seen numerous walkouts in the last month, organized by students, in protest of federal immigration enforcement efforts that have rattled many in the region. For example, in Waukegan, which has a significant Hispanic population, about 500 students from Waukegan High participated in a walkout. ...read more read less