Schools around the country are reviewing what to do if immigration agents come knocking as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office after campaigning on a pledge to deport millions of people.
In several large cities, school systems are speaking up for the to attend school, regardless of whether they are in the country legally, and saying they would not assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. In California, officials this week offered guidance to schools on state law limiting local participation in immigration enforcement.
鈥淚 know there is a lot of fear and anxiety around the incoming administration鈥檚 anticipated changes to immigration policy,鈥 California Attorney General Bonta said, 鈥渁nd I want to make sure students, their parents, and their teachers and school administrators are prepared.鈥
The 54-page California guide outlines state and federal protections for students and procedures for responding to law enforcement requests ranging from documents to interviews with students.
Many communities debated how much and whether schools should cooperate with immigration authorities during Trump's first administration, when school systems including Chicago's took .
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents have long abided guidance that deters arresting parents or students at schools and other sensitive locations that provide access to things like medical care and food and shelter. But Trump鈥檚 re-election and campaign rhetoric on immigration policy have sparked
鈥淎lthough the protected area policy remains in effect ... it may be modified, superseded, or withdrawn at any time with little notice,鈥 the California guidance said. 鈥淏ecause of this, and because exceptions to the policy exist, local educational agencies should have plans in place in the event that a law-enforcement officer requests information or access to a school site or a student for immigration-enforcement purposes.鈥
A Trump transition spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
An estimated are in the U.S. illegally, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Educators are acting at least in part to address the concerns of immigrant families and assure them their children are welcome and safe at school.
鈥淲e understand that fear and uncertainty, especially concerning the potential deportation of family members, can significantly impact our students鈥 well-being, their attendance, and their ability to learn,鈥 Des Moines, Iowa Public Schools, where one of four students are English language learners, said in a last month. The district affirmed a 2017 resolution limiting interactions with ICE officials to the superintendent.
A passed by Chicago Public Schools鈥 Board of Education in November said schools would not assist ICE in enforcing immigration law. Agents would not be allowed into schools without a criminal warrant, it said. And New York City principals last month were reminded by the district of policies including one against collecting information a student's immigration status.
Vermont principal Chris Young said his district, whose students include children of migrant workers and farm workers, has a longstanding policy of requiring outside law enforcement to produce a warrant if they want access to students.
鈥淐learly, students who are worried about their parents being deported or being deported themselves, I think, are high on our list of kids to worry about,鈥 said Young, principal at North County Union High School and president-elect of the Vermont Principals Association.
鈥淲e would like them to think that school is obviously a safe place and we are doing everything we can to bolster our policies around who can and can鈥檛 be in the buildings,鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd we want to make sure that we鈥檙e just keeping the needs of the kids at the forefront.鈥
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