About 4.4 million children who had been born in america have no less than one guardian who’s undocumented. The Pew Analysis Middle estimates that 733,000 school-aged kids are undocumented. Immigration was a spotlight of the 2024 Trump presidential marketing campaign; Donald Trump promised to start out mass deportations and a push to finish birthright citizenship. Lecturers and faculty leaders are considering it by way of.
Will deportations occur?
Proper now, we don’t understand how a lot of the rhetoric will turn into actuality because the Trump administration takes over Washington. In his first time period, Trump did observe by way of on deportation raids and separations, so this example is just not new for households within the undocumented neighborhood, says Viridiana Carrizales, co-founder and CEO of ImmSchools, a nonprofit that trains faculties in easy methods to assist immigrant college students. Her staff has been main trainings for varsity leaders, lecturers, and college students to organize them with info and expertise they want in case there’s a new spherical of deportations.
The largest query for lecturers, says Carrizales, is whether or not any of those raids or enforcement actions will occur at faculties. For years, faculties have been protected or sheltered areas, however that will change now that Donald Trump is in workplace. The Trump administration has mentioned they may take away the coverage that prevented immigration brokers from arresting undocumented individuals close to church buildings, faculties, hospitals, and different areas, like funerals or weddings. If faculties should not protected, immigration agents may cease mother and father and youngsters throughout pickup or drop-off, and oldsters might not ship children to highschool in any respect, out of concern.
Will this be completely different from state to state?
Already, every state is dealing with calls for for mass deportations in another way. In Missouri, a lawmaker suggested paying residents to let authorities know when somebody is undocumented. A Texas law (SB 4) permits state officers to implement immigration legal guidelines on the state stage, together with arresting individuals who cross the U.S.-Mexico border. And in 2024, other state legislatures proposed payments that might use the authorized system to hold out federal immigration enforcement and punish individuals who entered a state with out authorized standing. Depending on the state, individuals with out documentation might stay beneath protecting legal guidelines, dangerous legal guidelines, or no laws (as of proper now).
Lecturers are anxious.
One trainer posted on the We Are Teachers Helpline: “Issues that maintain me up at evening … do any of your faculty districts have a plan for deportation raids? If that’s the case, what might it seem like? If you happen to can share.”
Lecturers replied with their issues:
In response to the announcement {that a} lawmaker in Missouri is contemplating paying people $1,000 for each undocumented immigrant that they flip in, Jennifer L. wrote, “I don’t assume individuals will even have the ability to ship their children to highschool as a result of there can be no less than one pupil who sees it as a payday.”
April B. shared her expertise from the earlier Trump administration, when raids occurred at giant meatpacking and industrial employers. After the raid, college students had been positioned with older siblings or household, whereas a couple of had been positioned in foster care or deported. “One of the best you are able to do is to have these pre-established relationships in order that they know you’re a protected particular person to come back to.”
One other trainer remembered when raids occurred in 2016, her faculty labored with households to create a telephone tree that they might use to rapidly share info and warnings of raids. Luckily, nothing occurred, however getting forward of raids that will occur felt supportive.
ESL trainer Jodi O. talked about that faculties are presupposed to be protected areas. “Faculties are presupposed to be a ‘delicate location,’ and college students can’t be taken from them until there are extraordinary circumstances. Additionally, FERPA prevents us from offering private details about our college students.”
So, what ought to lecturers find out about easy methods to deal with immigration coverage when it impacts faculties and college students?
First, know your college students’ rights and protections.
Carrizales recommends understanding the federal insurance policies and protections, in addition to the insurance policies which can be already in place in your district. Households and college students have rights, like their proper to attend faculty. Figuring out these rights makes lecturers higher ready to advocate for households and to push again if anybody calls for info or actions that go in opposition to federal legislation.

Along with doing the precise factor, lecturers additionally wish to keep away from placing college students in danger unintentionally. “Perceive the authorized and federal rights college students have, realizing that info might be the distinction between supporting college students and placing them in danger,” says Carrizales.
Use FERPA to your benefit.
All lecturers ought to know that the federal privateness legislation, FERPA, prevents faculties and lecturers from giving out pupil info. Even when a federal official requests info, faculties can’t give out info with out following FERPA protocols.
Speak it by way of.
Inside your faculty, discuss how you’ll tackle potential situations. What occurs if an immigration officer reveals up in the course of the day? What occurs if a baby’s mother and father don’t come to select them up after faculty? How will you clarify the specter of deportation to your college students? Having a plan for these conditions will enable you react in a supportive, purposeful method.
Put together college students.
Lecturers of older college students can train college students what to search for if a federal official involves their door, and easy methods to converse to federal officers. Having phrases in English that they’ll use, and realizing the distinction in numerous kinds of officers (the native police in comparison with an immigration official) or what various kinds of warrants seem like, might help college students make the precise determination within the second.

Be a trusted particular person.
With all college students, Carrizales recommends constructing belief with mother and father and college students so mother and father see the college as a trusted entity. Work with counselors and faculty social staff to reply to college students’ and household’s issues.
Assets for Ok-12 Lecturers and Faculties
Many because of Children’s Defense Fund for this complete checklist. Please go to their web site for more information.
Assets from the AFT, NILC, and CLASP, January 2025
These reality sheets present info on how faculties can defend pupil privateness, prohibit ICE enforcement, and assist college students and households impacted by enforcement.
Extra January 2025 Assets
- How School Districts Can Take Action To Protect Their Immigrant Students, The Century Basis, December 2024
- Explains 2017 NYC Public College coverage put in place to guard immigrant college students from ICE enforcement and the way different faculty districts can mannequin it.
- The Legal Authority for “Sanctuary” School Policies, NILC, August 2018
- Offers background on the rights of colleges associated to immigrant college students and households, and gives steering for creating sanctuary insurance policies at school settings.
- Promoting a Safe and Secure Learning Environment for All: Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s K-12 Schools in Responding to Immigration Issues, California DOJ, Workplace of the Lawyer Common, December 2024.
- Information from California to equip native instructional companies with the up to date info and assets essential to proceed to supply protected, welcoming environments for all college students and to safeguard the rights and privateness of scholars and their households.
- Immigration Enforcement in Schools, MALDEF, January 2025
- Steering from the Mexican American Authorized Protection and Academic Fund on immigration enforcement in public faculties because it pertains to Plyler v. Doe.
- ImmSchools’ Safe Zone Resolutions for School Districts Resource Folder
- ImmSchools’ useful resource folder has info on creating protected zone insurance policies, responding to ICE brokers at faculties, and assets on subpoenas and warrants.