(LATEST UPDATE: Feb. 12): Chicago Public Schools will not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or share student records with the agency also known as “ICE.”
Indianapolis Public Schools has vowed not to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents onto district campuses without a judicial warrant. Still, the district is advising undocumented families not to obstruct ICE officers and to “prepare an emergency plan for yourself and your family in case you are arrested.”
Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut is sticking with its policy of prohibiting federal immigration enforcement activities in its schools and will not admit anyone who does not have prior authorization. In the same state, Norwalk Public Schools says it will not provide access to non-local police unless they have a warrant.
“If non-local law enforcement, including ICE, arrives at a school, they will remain outside the premises while the school security officer collects identifying information and consults with the school building leader,” the district affirms on its website. “The building leader will then consult with legal counsel to determine the appropriate course of action. Access will not be granted without explicit authorization from legal counsel.”
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has made the community aware of individuals impersonating immigration officers. In a districtwide statement last week, he said it has generated fear within the community.
“The District stands in strong condemnation of those who would seek to intimidate or disrupt those in and around our schools and will work in partnership with school police and law enforcement partners to address any and all violations targeted against our school communities,” his statement reads.
School district leaders clarified that there have been no reports of individuals impersonating ICE agents at LAUSD, but such reports have been made in the local community, CBS News reports.
Superintendent Michelle Reid of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia says her district will continue to follow federal law that requires districts to provide an education to all students, regardless of immigration status. She also confirmed that her staff would not attempt to identify any student’s immigration status.
“We have clear plans in place to respond to the shifting federal policies and our principals have received clear direction from me on the expected response should a federal law enforcement official come to a school,” Reid said on her district’s website. “As we continue to follow the law, we will do everything within our authority to protect our students and staff.”
These are just a few of the many districts where leaders are recommitting to providing safe spaces for students in the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to allow law enforcement to search for undocumented students or staff in school buildings, churches and other former “sanctuaries.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with the state’s attorney general and department of education, is advising K12 leaders “not allow officers inside school property to access a student, except to address an imminent safety situation or where required by law due to a judicial warrant or order.”
Canutillo ISD in El Paso, Texas, has added a page to its website titled “Safe Haven.” On it, Superintendent Pedro Galaviz says his district will continue its “strong partnership with ICE and other law enforcement agencies” to ensure campuses are safe.
“However, our commitment to safety will never come at the expense of our students’ rights or their access to effective teaching and learning,” Galaviz says.
“Our role as educators and community leaders is not to debate the politics of immigration enforcement but to ensure that our students feel secure and supported. When children feel safe, they can thrive academically. When they are burdened with fear or anxiety, their ability to learn is compromised.”
Officials from Florida’s Department of Education, however, say they will not stand in the way of ICE agents. “Florida schools will cooperate with all law enforcement working to enforce the nation’s laws on illegal immigration and keep our schools safe,” Sydney Booker, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education, told the USA TODAY Network.
AASA, the Superintendents Association suggests steps K12 leaders can take to prepare for increased immigration enforcement efforts.
Immigration enforcement: Schools line up to protect students
(LAST UPDATE: Jan. 24) Superintendents in several districts are vowing to protect students from any attempted on-campus enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
These education leaders are positioning themselves to defy President Donald Trump’s new policy that eliminates schools and churches as sanctuaries and say their districts will not cooperate with ICE patrols of K12 buildings.
Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Rachel Monarrez wrote in a letter to families that the district in Massachusetts’ second-largest city will continue its policy of not asking about students’ immigration status.
More from DA: More than a dozen districts have picked new leaders
“We will not allow ICE agents access to WPS facilities without a criminal judicial warrant signed by a federal judge,” Monarrez declared. “We will not admit ICE agents into schools based on an administrative warrant, an ICE detainer or any other document related to civil immigration enforcement.”
The district has also issued guidance to principals and school-based on “protecting students’ rights, responding to ICE interactions, and supporting students whose parents or guardians may be detained during the school day,” Monarrez added.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero has said in recent days that principals should place their buildings on lockdown if ICE agents attempt to enter, The Denver Gazette reported.
“No individual should be permitted to enter the building without ascertaining whether the individual has a legitimate business or educational purpose,” Marrero wrote in a staff memo obtained by The Denver Gazette.
In a message to the community, he urged all families to update individuals authorized to pick their children up from school. “While we still do not know exactly what actions the incoming administration may or may not take at this time, it is important that our families have access to resources and information to establish an action plan,” Marrero wrote.
No longer shielded from immigration enforcement
Trump has alerted immigration and border patrol offices that schools and churches are no longer designated “sensitive areas,” meaning they are no longer off-limits to immigration enforcement actions.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” reads last week’s Department of Homeland Security statement. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
Just a few days prior to Trump’s action, San Francisco USD in California reaffirmed its status as a safe haven for students, regardless of their immigration status. Just to the south of the city, a group of superintendents in Santa Clara also committed to protecting immigrant students and families.
“We will use all the resources at our disposal to ensure that immigrant students and families are,” those leaders wrote in a letter.
The New Jersey Department of Education has created a webpage with guidance for districts on handling attempted immigration enforcement on school campuses. The Center for Democracy and Technology has released this document that details how immigration enforcement may impact K12 schools and offers recommendations for how schools can meet their long-standing legal obligations.
