As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ramp up migrant arrests under Donald Trump’s directives, schools have become a battleground. While conservative states are welcoming ICE, others are pushing back, reaffirming schools as safe havens.
The Trump administration reversed the 2011 guidance restricting ICE actions at “sensitive locations” like schools. With an estimated 850,000 undocumented children in the U.S. as of 2022, schools are caught between federal enforcement and legal protections guaranteeing all children a public education.
Some states are fully cooperating.
“Florida schools will cooperate with all law enforcement,” Sydney Booker, a Florida Department of Education spokesperson, said.
Alabama’s State Superintendent Eric Mackey urged districts to continue operating as usual, stating that officers “should always be welcomed onto our campuses.”
Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s Board of Education advanced a proposal requiring parents to disclose their immigration status during enrollment. Republican Superintendent Ryan Walters justified the move, arguing that “schools are crippled” by illegal immigration.
In contrast, Democratic-led states are resisting. New York Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirmed that “schools should remain a safe haven.” Illinois, Oregon, and cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have set policies requiring ICE agents to present a judicial warrant before entering schools.
Amid this uncertainty, some immigrant parents are withdrawing their children. “We want to make sure that kids continue to go to school,” said Viridiana Carrizales, CEO of ImmSchools. Adriana Rivera of the Florida Immigrant Coalition warned that fear of racial profiling is making families uneasy.
