The Los Angeles immigrant community has faced widespread raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers this month, leading to protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
In response to the arrests and detainment of alleged undocumented immigrants in L.A., many of which have been reportedly carried out without due process, advocates have organized protests in major cities — and on Roblox.
Roblox is a popular MMORPG — or, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game — with a wide demographic of children and teens. Last week, kids started creating their own protests in the Roblox world, sharing screen recordings of the online events on TikTok.
In the videos, players are seen holding up signs with anti-ICE sentiments, such as “frick ICE,” “keep families together,” or “ICE out of California,” behind structures that look like police barricades.
On one such video, tech journalist and commentator Taylor Lorenz commented to seek out a statement from the Roblox protest organizers.
They responded publicly, saying, “We can’t really reach out because we are minors.”
The “co-owners” of the protest, named Addy and Aria, did give Lorenz a statement in the comment section, however.
“We did this because we want to help people know their rights,” the youth replied. “And we wanted to spread awareness about the ICE raids happening in the USA. We wanted people to know that [there] is no such thing as ‘illegal aliens’ in the country.”
While these players seem to be eager to exercise their First Amendment rights, others are also cosplaying as police officers or ICE agents themselves, walking along a protest line or creating in-game vehicles similar to those used by agents in real life, according to Latin Times.
One TikTok comment, which was liked by organizer Addy, speaks to this phenomenon.
“A thing people don’t seem to understand about platforms like Roblox is that this is the next generation’s digital dollhouse. They’re simulating what they see in real life, normally in places like Brookhaven, which is incredibly popular on Roblox,” the comment reads.
“This is how kids play pretend nowadays, instead of playing with dolls and action figures,” the comment concludes. “It’s important they see what’s happening.”
Under the same TikTok video, other Roblox players commented, asking when the next protest would be and if they could join in. They even left some of their usernames in the comment section, pleading “please add me,” and “I want to protest.”
Other videos featuring protest “footage” show characters wearing high-visibility outfits, carrying picket signs, and playing soundtracks like “FDT” by YG and classic Mexican ballads.
Similarly to how things played out in the real world, it seems the protest movements are growing on Roblox, with “No Kings”-inspired demonstrations “shutting down” streets in the game.
Comments include a mixed bag of reactions, with some laughing at “iPad kids” protesting, and others finding the gesture represents the expression of free speech for young people — even from behind a screen.
“I'm crying watching these Roblox ICE protests,” one person wrote on a video. “Kids are so precious.”
“This is amazing to see,” another added. “You all have a voice that matters.”
Header images courtesy of @clips4closet and @mangomoonbae/TikTok
